IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


b 


1.0    !^^  tSi 

ss^     itt  1^    112.2 

II  II   s>^y£ 

1                                    ^                  WMU 

|l.25|U|j^ 

6"    

PholiDgrapnic 

Sciences 

CkjrporaHon 


23  WBT  MAM  STMCT 

WnSTIR,N.Y.  14S80 
(71«)  179-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  IMicroraproductions  /  institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notas  tachniquaa  at  bibiiographiquaa 


The  Instituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Fr -<turaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
reproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below 


0 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I   Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagte 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicula 


I      I   Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


□   Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  df  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 


I     I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrationa/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  an  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
RaliA  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  laavas  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  poaaibia,  theae 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainas  pagea  blanchaa  ajouttea 
lore  d'une  restauration  apparaiasent  dans  la  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  itait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  AtA  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilmi  la  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'ii  lui  a  4t*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  aont  paut>Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthoda  normale  de  f ilmaga 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


tc 


I     I   Coloured  pages/ 


n 


Pagea  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pagea  andommagies 


□   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pagea  rastaurAas  et/ou  peliiculAes 

E^agas  diacoioured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
images  dAcolortes,  tachettes  ou  piqutes 

H   Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dAtachies 

Showthrough> 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prin 

Qualiti  inigala  de  I'impreaaion 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  matiriai  suppKmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


[^  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I     I  includes  supplementary  material/ 

r~1  Only  edition  available/ 


Tl 

P 
o 

fl 


O 
b« 
til 
si 

01 

fil 

si 

01 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
alips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
enaure  the  beat  poaaibia  image/ 
Lea  pagea  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  fauillet  d'errata.  une  pelure. 
etc.,  ont  M  filmtea  i  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  mailleure  image  possible. 


Tl 
si 
Tl 
w 

M 
di 
er 
bi 

re 
m 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ca  document  est  filmi  au  taux  da  reduction  indiquA  ci*daaaoua 

10X                           14X                           ItX                           22X 

2tX 

aox 

/ 

12X 

i 

Aiv. 

lex 

aox 

a4x 

28X 

32X 

lilt 

Ju 

iJifier 

me 

age 


Th«  copy  fiim«d  li«r«  hn  b««n  r«produe«d  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

D.B.W«Mon  Library 
UniMraity  of  Wailtm  Oirtario 

Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possible  cons'  iaring  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  filmA  fut  reproduit  grAcc  A  la 
gAnArosIti  da: 

D.B.Wildon  Library 
Univtraity  of  WMtam  Ontario 

Lea  imagas  suivantas  ont  AtA  raprod jitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  da  rexemplaira  f limA,  et  en 
conformity  evec  les  conditions  du  contrst  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  papa'  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  eppropriete.  Ail 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  e  printed  or  iiluatratad  'mpres- 
sion,  and  ending  on  the  last  page  vtMi  a  printed 
or  iiluatratad  impraasion. 


Lre  exempiairas  originaux  don^i  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreintr 
d'impreasion  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  hi  cas.  Tous  les  auti^es  exempleires 
originaux  sont  filnte  ^n  commanpant  par  la 
pramlAre  page  qui  comp.trte  une  empreinte 
d'impreasion  ou  d'it'ustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — «»-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  eppliea. 


Un  das  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
darrJAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 


Meps.  plates,  cherta.  etc..  may  Im  filmed  et 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  fc  « 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  ti> 
right  end  top  to  bottom,  ea  many  framea  aa 
required.  The  following  diegrams  iiluatrata  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  dee  taux  de  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grend  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  soul  clichA,  ii  est  filmA  A  partir 
dis  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  da  heut  en  bas,  an  prenant  \h  nombre 
d'imasas  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  le  mAthode. 


Bta 


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University  of  Western  Ontario 
LIBRARY 

LONDON   -   CANADA 

Class .V..'^.^ 


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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  WESTERN  ONTARIO 


LONDON  CANADA 


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HISTORY  OF  THE  ST.  ALBANS  RAW. 


4 

i 


ANNUAL  ADDRESS 


BEFORE   THE 


VERMONT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


DELIVERED  AT  MONTPELIER,  VT., 


ON"   TXJBJSDAY   KVBlNI»rG^,    OCTOBER     17,     ISre. 


By  Hon.  EDWARD  A.  SOWLES. 


\ 


ST.  ALBANS: 

Messenoeb  Pbintino  Works. 
1876. 


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r(E30J.UTI0r^    AND    fJ0RRE3P0NDENCE. 

Tlio  following  Joint  Besolution  was  adopted  by  the  Senate 
and  House  of  Bepresentatives,  at  their  biennial  session,  1876: 
Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  That  the  Secretary  of 
M  the  Senate  be  and  is  hereby  directed  to  procure  the  printing  in  pamphlet 

form  of  fifteen  hundred  copies  of  the  address  delivered  before  the  Ver- 
mont Historical  Society  on  the  17th  instant,  by  the  Hon.  Edward  A.  Sowles. 
That  there  be  furnished  to  each  member  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Bep- 
resentatives two  copies ;  to  each  Town  Clerk,  one  copy ;  to  each  college, 
normal  school  and  academy  in  this  state,  one  copy ;  to  the  Governor,  each 
of  the  heads  of  departments,  and  each  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Gotirt,  une 
copyj  to  the  State  Library,  two  hundred  copies ;  to  the  Vermont  Histori- 
cal Society,  two  hundred  and  fifty  copies,  and  that  the  remaining  copies 
shall  be  divided  between  the  public  libraries  in  the  State  not  otherwise 
supplied,  under  the  direction  of  the  State  Librarian* 

The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  Hon.  Edward  A. 

Sowles : 

Office  of  the  Secbetaby  of  the  Senate,)^ 
MoNTPEUEB,  Vt.,  Octobeb  23,  1870.    > 
Dear  Sir:  By  a  joint  resolution  adopted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Bepresentatives,  I  am  directed  to  procure  the  printing  of  fifteen  hundred 
copies  of  the  address  delivered  by  you  before  the  Vermont  Historical 
Society  on  the  17th  instant,  at  Montpelier,  on  "  The  St.  Albans  Baid." 

I  would  respectfully  request  you  to  furnish  me  with  a  copy  of  the 
above  mentioned  address  for  publication  as  soon  as  convenient. 

I  am.  Sir,  your  humble  servant, 

F.  W.  BALDWIN,  Secretary  qf  tlu  Senate. 
To  which  the  following  reply  was  received : 

Senate  Chamber,  Montpelieb,  Vt.,  Oct.,  2ri,  1876. 
Dear  Sir:  Your  favor  of  the  23d  inst.,  informing  me  ofiS.cially  thot  a 
joint  resolution  adopted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Bepresentatives 
directed  you  to  procure  the  printing  of  fifteen  hundred  copies  of  my  ad- 
dress delivered  before  the  Vermont  Historical  Society  in  the  Bepresenta- 
tives' Hall,  at  Montpelier,  on  the  17th  inst.,  on  "  The  St.  Albans  Baid,"  is 
received. 

The  address  was  prepared  hastily,  without  any  expectation  that  I 
should  be  called  on  by  the  Legislature  to  furnish  a  copy  for  publication. 
My  private  engagements  and  official  duties  have  been  such  as  to  prevent  a 
revision  of  the  same-  This,  alone,  might  be  ground  for  hesitancy  in 
complying  with  the  flattering  request.  I  have  concluded,  however,  to 
furnish  it,  trusting  that  the  printer  will  correct  and  the  public  overlook 
all  imperfections  that  may  appear  in  so  hastily  written  a  production. 

Yours  Very  BespectfuUy, 

EDWABD  A.  SOWLES. 


FTTTWWPP" 


n    ivm 


PROCEEDINGS  OF 
JhE    Y^^J^ON'^    j4l?T0F(ICAl.    ^OCIflTY, 

AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING,  1876. 


The  annual  meeting  of  the  Vermont  Historical  Society  was  called  to 
order  in  room  No.  12,  in  the  State  House,  at  Moutpclier,  on  Tuesday, 
October  17th,  1870,  at  2  p.  m. 

The  records  of  the  last  meeting  were  read  and  approved. 

On  motion,  the  following  gentlemen  were  aiipointed  a  committee  to 
nominate  officers  for  the  coming  year :  Samuel  Wells,  Dr.  P.  D.  Bradford 
and  Charles  Dewey. 

The  Librarian's  report  was  read  by  Mr.  M.  D.  Oilman,  the  librarian, 
showing  that  the  ^.umber  of  additions  to  the  collections  of  the  Society  for 
the  last  two  years  is  4,784,  for  .vhich  acknowledgement  has  been  made  to 
each  donor. 

The  Treasurer's  report  was  read  by  Col.  H.  D.  Hopkins,  and  ordered 
recorded. 

E.  B.  Campbell,  of  Brattleboro,  and  J.  G.  Darling,  of  Boston,  were 
elected  honorary  members. 

The  committee  on  nominations  reported  a  list  of  officers  for  the  ensu- 
ing year.  Rev.  Dr.  Lord  declined  a  re-election  as  president,  and  the 
report  was  on  motion  recommitted.  Charles  W.  Porter  and  John  "W. 
Page  were  elected  members  of  the  Society.  The  following  nominations 
were  reported  and  the  gentlemen  named  elected  officers  of  the  Society : 

President — Hon.  E.  P.  Walton,  of  Montpelier. 

Vice-Presidents — Hon.  James  Barrett,  of  Woodstock,  Luther  L. 
Dutcher,  of  St.  Albans,  and  Rev.  Wm.  S.  Hazen,  of  Northfield. 

Recording-Secretary — Chas.  W.  Porter,  of  Montpelier. 

Corresponding-Secretaries — Hon.  G.  G.  Benedict,  of  Burlington,  O. 

S.  Bliss,  of  Georgia. 

Treasurer — John  W.  Page,  of  Montpelier. 
Librarian — Marcus  D.  Gilmpn,  of  Montpelier. 

Curators— Hon.  R.  S.  Taft,  of  Burlington;  H.  A.  Cutting,  M.  D.,  of 
Ltmenburgh;  Hon.  Gilliert  A.  Davis,  of  Reading;  Rev.  W.  H.  Lord,  D. 
D.,  of  Montpelier,  and  H.  A.  Hnse,  Esq.,  of  Montpelier. 

Printing  and  Publishing  Committee — Ex.  Gov.  HilandHall,  of  Benning- 
ton ;  Hon.  E.  P.  Walton,  of  Montpelier.  Rev.  W.  H.  Lord,  of  Montpelier. 


e 


* 


President  Walton,  on  taking  the  chair,  read  the  following 
letter  from  T.  W.  Wood: 

MONTPFXIER,  Vt.,  Oct.  17,  1H7(1. 
Hon.  E.  r.  Walton: 

My  Dear  ^r— Will  you  do  mc  the  favor  to  preHont  to  tho  Vermont 
Historical  Society  the  portrait  of  llev.  Wm.  I^  Loi-d,  D.  1).,  which  I 
have  painted  for  the  Society,  with  the  hope  that  it  may  bo  the  commence, 
ment  of  a  collection  of  portraits  of  men  who  make  the  history  of  our 
State  ?  Very  Tnily  Yours, 

T.  W.  WOOD. 

Hon.  Joseph  Poland  offered  the  following  resolutions, 

which  were  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  the  hearty  thanks  of  this  Society  be,  and  hereby  are, 
tendered  to  the  Artist,  Thomas  W.  Wood,  Esq.,  of  Montpelier,  for  the 
presentation  of  the  accurate  and  finely  executed  portrait  of  its  retiring 
president,  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  H.  Lord. 

Resolved  further.  That  the  Secretary  and  Librarian  be  requested  to  ar- 
range with  the  proper  officers  for  a  suitable  place  in  the  State-House  for 
its  preservation  and  exhibition.  i 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  and  Librarian  of  this  Society  bo,  and  are 
hereby  directed,  to  receive  such  portraits  of  eminent  and  worthy  citizens 
of  the  State  as  may  be  presented  for  preservation,  and  cause  the  same  to 
be  properly  placed  in  the  capitol. 

Resolved,  That  a  conmiittee  of  five,  to  be  appointed  by  the  President, 
be  raised  to  co-operate  in  behalf  of  this  Society  ia  such  celebrations  as 
may  be  had  on  Vermont  centennial  days  in  1877,  at  Westminster,  Wind- 
sor, Hubbardton  and  Bennington. 

Hon.  Q.  A.  Davis  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 

was  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  bo  required  to  give  a  good 
and  sufficient  bond,  for  such  sum  as  the  Finance  Committee  shall  deem 
necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  funds  of  the  Society.  , 

Dr.  P.  D.  Bradford  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 

was  adopted:  »- 

Resolved,  That  the  Recording-Secretary  is  requested  to  prepare  com- 
plete lists  of  the  resident,  corresponding,  and  honorary  members  of  the 
Society,  for  publication  with  the  proceedings. 

A  revolutionary  velic  of  great  interest,  a  sword  of  tho  war  of  tho  rev- 
olution, was  presented  by  Miss  Hemenway.  ^ 


T^^saim 


Tho  Society  llicn  ailjourncil  to  liall-pnRt  Hovtsii  o'clock  p.  m.,  then  to 
meet  in  the  Itnll  of  tho  HouHe  of  llcpreHcntativeH,  to  be  adilroHHed  by  the 
Hon.  Edwnr^l  A.  SowleH,  of  Ht.  AlbnnH,  on  the  Ho-calletl  "Ht.  Albann 
llaid." 

EVENINC*  HEHHION. 

The  Society  met  and  was  addrcHsod  by  lion.  Edward  A.  Bowles,  when 
it  adjourned  to  October  24th,  '.\  o'clock,  p.  m. 

OOTODKB  24,  1H7<!. 

The  Society  met  pursuant  to  adjonnmient. 

The  President  appointed  the  committee  on  Vermont  Centennial  days 
in  1877  as  follows :  Hon.  Hiland  Hall,  o'  Bennington  ;  Ilov  P.  F.  Barn- 
aul, of  Westminster ;  llev.  Franklin  Butler,  of  Windsor ;  Hon.  Gilbert 
A.  Davis,  of  Heading,  and  Cyrus  Jennings,  Esq.,  of  Hubbardton. 

The  following  named  gentlemen  wer  admitted  to  membership  in  the 
Society,  to  wit.:  Hon.  Oscar  E.  Butterlleld,  Wilmington;  Rev.  James 
H.  liabbitt,  of  Waitsfleld;  George  E.  Eaton,  Esq.,  of  Danville,  and  Geo. 
W.  Wing,  A.  W.  Ferrin  and  Charles  Guernsey,  of  Montpelitr, 

The  Society  adjourned  without  day. 


f 


Address. 


f 


The  St.  Albans  Raid. — In  July  1863,  S.  R.  Mallory,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  of  the  so  called  Confederate  States  of  America, 
sent  twenty-seven  commissioned  officers  and  forty  petty  officers 
to  Canada,  to  organize  an  expedition  against  Johnson's  Island 
in  Sandusky  Bay,  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of 
releasing  several  thousands  of  Confederate  prisoners  of  war, 
there  held  by  the  United  States  Government.  The  facts  as 
there  ascertained  were  reported  to  the  Confederate  Congress  in 
December  1863. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1863,  Hon.  William  H.  Seward, 
then  Secretary  of  State,  sent  a  dispatch  to  Hon.  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  American  Minister  at  the  Court  of  St.  James, 
for  Earl  Russell,  British  Foreign  Minister,  referring  to  Mr. 
Mallory 's  report,  in  which  he  said:  "In  the  opinion  of  this 
Government,  a  toleration  in  Great  Britain,  or  in  those 
provinces,  of  the  practices  avowed  by  the  insurgents,  after  the 
knowledge  of  them  now  communicated  to  his  lordship,  would 
not  be  neutrality,  but  would  be  a  permission  to  the  enemies  of 
the  United  States  to  make  war  against  them  from  "British 
shores." 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1864,  the  Hon.  J.  F.  Howard,  United 
States  Consul  at  St.  John,  N.  B.,  likewise  communicated  to" 
Mr.  Seward  information  that  an  unusually  large  number  of  dis- 
loyal citizens  of  the  United  States  had  quite  recently  passed 
that  city  en  route  for  Canada  via  Fredricton  and  Biviere  du 

Loup.  '   :■     y-'" 


I 


i   I 


8 

The  greater  part  of  these  insurgents  had  been  living  for 
some  months  in  Halifax — others  had  found  their  way  north 
from  Nassau  and  Bermuda.  The  rebel  genei^l  Frost  had  also 
then  recently  proceeded  to  Canada  from  St.  John,  N.  B. 

On  the  3l8t  of  May,  1864,  Mr.  Seward  officially  communi- 
cated the  facts  contained  in  Mr.  Howard's  letter  to  Lord 
Lyons,  British  Minister  at  Washington,  and  the  latter  trans- 
mitted the  same  to  Viscount  Monck,  tlien  Governor-General 
of  Canada,  as  well  as  to  the  British  Government. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  18(M,  Col.  R.  H.  Hill,  in  command 
at  Df  Lioit,  Michigan,  communicated  to  General  Dix,  in  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  East,  that  certain  leading  men 
of  the  South  had  found  their  way  through  the  Union  lines  into 
the  neighboring  provinces  of  Canada,  and  it  was  soon  ascer- 
tained beyond  question  that  Jacob  Thompson,  formerly 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  C.  C.  Clay,  Jr.,  and  George  W. 
Saunders,  formerly  members  of  the  U.  S.  CongresS;  were  the 
accredited  agents  of  the  Confederate  States  in  Canada, 
stationed  at  Niagara  and  other  important  points. 

The  purposes  of  their  mission  became  very  apparent  to  Mr. 
Seward  and  Mr.  Sta,nton,  Secretary  of  War.  Accordingly,  IVIr. 
Seward,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1864,  again  enclosed  to  Lord 
Lyons,  copies  of  communications  "  in  regard  to  reported  hostile 
projects  of  insurgent  citizens  of  the  United  States  lurking  in 
Canada,  with  a  view  to  inquiry  into  the  matter,  and  to  the 
adoption  of  precautionary  measures.  "  Lord  Lyons,  as  it  ap- 
pears from  the  correspondence,  placed  the  British  Government 
in  full  possession  of  all  the  facts. 

About  the  20th  of  November,  1863,  Governor  Smith,  then 
Governor  of  Vermont,  doubtless  alai'med  at  the  demonstra- 
tions, asked  the  W^ar  Department  at  Washington  for  5,000 
rifled  muskets,  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition,  horses  for  a 
battery,  and  authority  to  station  troops  at  Swanton,  St. 
Albans  and  Burlington.  Col.  Ludlow  was  sent  to  Vermont  by 
Major  General  Dix,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1863,  and  on 
the  28th  of  November,  General  Dix  telegraphed  Mr.  Stan, 
ton,  as  follows:  "Colonel  Ludlow  telegraphs  all  is  arranged 
well  in  Vermont."     On  the  30th  of    November,   1863,    Mr. 


SeAvard  sonf,  a  dispatch  to  Lord  Lyons,  as  follows:  "In  the 
present  peaceful  aspect  of  affairs  we  shall  not  make  any  such 
military  demonstrations,  or  preparations  on  the  Vermont  line, 
as  General  Dix  suggests.  Nor  shall  I  call  on  Her  Majesty's 
Government  for  any  special  attention  in  that  direction." 

In  October,  1864,  as  it  appears  from  testimony  taken  by 
the  writer  to  be  used  before  the  Mixed  Commission  on  Ameri- 
can and  British  claims,  there  were  between  15,000  and  20,000 
of  these  insurgents  domiciled  and  lurking  about  in  the  Provinces 
of  Canada.  The  Dorion-McDonald  Government  of  Canada 
had  been  in  favor  of  active  steps  to  preserve  strict  neutrality 
towards  the  United  States,  and  had  sometime  previously  to 
the  20th  of  November,  1863,  detected  and  prevented  a  con- 
spiracy to  commit  a  raid  on  Johnson's  Island  by  the  use  of 
barges  to  be  loaded  with  these  insurgents,  and  to  be  towed  by 
steamers  through  the  Lachine  Canal  into  Lake  Erie,  and 
thence  into  Sadusky  Bay.  But  this  strong  array  of  Southern- 
ers, by  means  of  their  social  qualities,  and  the  free  use  of 
money,  had  succeeded  in  creating  a  sentiment  in  Canada,  ad- 
verse to  the  Northern  States,  which,  together  with  the  hostilir^; 
of  the  friends  of  the  Cartier-McDonald  Government,  tended  to* 
the  overthrow  of  the  Dorion-McDonald  Government  after 
being  in  power  only  eightceen  months,  and  the  restoration  of 
the  Cartier-McDonald  Government,  with  their  consequent 
friendly  relations  to  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

The  testimony  taken  to  be  used  before  the  Mixed  Commiss- 
ion, and  such  as  was  taken  at  the  Military  trial  of  the  assass- 
ins of  President  Lincoln  and  the  assailants  of  Secretary  Sew- 
ard, and  the  criminal  trial  of  John  H.  Suratt ;  the  expedition 
of  Bennett  G.  Burley  and  acting  Master  John  Y.  Beall,  after- 
wards hung  by  order  of  General  Dix,  in  New  York  harbor, 
for  piracy ;  in  the  capture  of  the  steamers  "  Philo  Parsons"  and 
"  Island  Queen ;"  in  their  efforts  to  reach  JAhnson's  Island  and 
to  likewise  capture  or  destroy  the  XJ.  S.  Steamer  "  Michigan," 
then  guarding  rebel  prisoners  on  that  island,  rn  the  19th  of 
September  1864;  the  St.  Albans  raid  under  Lieut.  Bennett 
H.  Young,  on  the  19th  of  October  1864 ;  the  effort  of  Dr. 
Blackburn  to  send  clothing  infected  with  yellow  fever  and 


\'i  <t 


10 

small  pox  from  Canada  into  the  United  States,  to  depopulate 
the  loyal  people  of  the  north,  and  the  assassination  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  on  the  14th  of  Apiil,  1865,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  lrt>.er  of  C.  C.  Clay  Jr.,  to  the  Hon.  J.  P.  Benjamin, 
Secrets  j  of  the  Confederate  States,  bearing  date  Nov.  Ist, 
1864,  and  that  of  Jacob  Thompson  to  the  same  person  under 
date  of  Dec.  3d,  1864,  and  the  fact  that  John  Wilkea  Booth 
was  proven  to  have  been  in  Canada  in  secret  consultation 
with  Thompson  and  Sanders  before  the  St.  Albans  raid,  and 
likewise  a  short  time  before  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln — all  show  conclusively  to  the  mind  of  any  reader, 
that  there  was  a  conspiracy  plotted  and  organized  in  Canada 
to  commit  all  those  outrages  by  means  of  raids,  murders  and 
assassination,  as  a  last  resort  to  save  that  so-called  "  Southern 
Confederacy,  as  Alexander  H.  Stevens  then  said,  "whose 
comer  stone  rests  upon  the  great  truth  that  the  negro  is  net , 
equal  to  the  white  man — that  slavery — subordination  to  the 
superior  race — is  his  natural  and  normal  condition." 

This  brings  us  to  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the  origin 
of  the  St.  Albans  raid,  and  now  we  may  the  better  trace  its 
progress,  consummation  and  results  as  a  part  of  a  great  con- 
spiracy. 

On  that  memorable  19th  day  of  October,  1864,  at  about  the 
same  hour  that  Sheridan  was  pursuing  the  rebels  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley,  and  a  company  of  St,  Albans  Boys,  with 
other  Vermont  soldiers,  were  hotly  engaged  with  the  enemy 
at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon— ^parties  of  from  three  to  five  persons — numbering  in  all 
from  twenty  to  fifty  persons,  then  domiciled  or  commorant 
within  Her  Majesty's  proviucps  of  Canada,  in  the  form  and  ap- 
pearance of  a  military  array,  took  forcible  and  armed  pos- 
session of  a  part  of  the  village  of  St.  Albans,  under  Lieutenant 
Bennett  H.  Young  as  their  leader,  for  the  gener>tl  intent  and 
purpose  of  carrying  on  and  committing  at^s  of  forcible  depre- 
dations, rapine  and  war,  from  the  provinces  of  Canada  as  a 
base  of  operations,  and  as  a  shelter  for  immediate  retreat, 
against  and  upon  the  persons  and  property  of  unarmed  and 
peaceable  citizens  of  St.  Albans.    They  were  armed  with  large 


"•*:* 


T-^    — ... 


II 


!*' 


navy  revolvers,  concealed  under  a  loose  coat,  and  had  belts  and 
traveling  bags  or  haversacks  thrown  across  their  shoulders. 

They  first  made  a  secret  and  simultaneous  attack  upon  the 
three  banks  in  the  village,  closed  the  outer  doors  and  made 
prisoners  of  their  inmates. 

In  the  First  National  Bank,  Albert  Sowles,  the  cashier, 
was  present.  He  testifies  as  follows :  "  One  of  these  sti'angers 
approached  the  counter  on  the  other  side  of  which  I  was  stand- 
ing opposite  him.  As  he  came  up  to  the  counter,  he  sud- 
denly drew  from  a  'a  holster'  with  which  he  was  equipped,  a 
large  navy  revolver,  and,  cocking  and  pointing  the  same  at  me, 
said,  'if  you  offer  any  resistance  I  will  shoot  you  dead,  you 
are  my  prisoner.' 

At  this  moment  two  other  strangers  similarly  equipped, 
came  into  the  bank,  one  of  them  remaining  at,  and  guarding 
the  door,  while  the  other  passed  behind  tb''  counter  where  I 
was  standing,  and  went  to  the  iron  safe  of  the  bank,  in  ihy  rear, 
which  contained  the  funds  of  the  bank,  and  commenced  stuff- 
ing bank  bills,  bonds,  treasury  notes  and  other  securities  into 
his  pockets.  After  he  had  filled  his  pockets,  he  commenced 
throwing  bonds,  bank  bills  and  treasury  notes  and  private  ^a 
pers  across  the  counter  to  his  confederates  on  the  other  side, 
who  took  them  and  filled  their  pockets  in  like  manner.  I  was 
greatly  intimidated  and  considered  my  life  in  danger.  While 
these  things  were  going  on,  one  of  the  party  said  '  we  repre- 
sent the  Confederate  States  of  America  and  we  come  here  to 
retaliate  for  acts  committed  against  our  people  by  General 
Sherman.'  He  said  '  it  will  be  of  no  use  to  offer  any  resist- 
ance, as  there  are  a  hundred  soldiers  belonging  to  our  party  in 
your  village.*  He  said  '  you  have  got  a  very  nico  village  here, 
and  if  there  is  the  least  resistance  to  us,  or  (iny  of  our  men 
are  shot,  we  shall  burn  the  village.'  He  sai(^  these  are  our 
orders,  and  each  man  is  sworn  to  carry,them  oui' " 

These  men  took  from  this  bank  $58,000.    The  cashier  was 
taken  prisoner  and  placed  under  guar4  on  the  public  park  in ' 
front  of  the  banking  house.    As  tiiey  v^fate  marching  him  out 
of  the  bank,  William  H.  Blaisdell,  a  cloiiluer,  and  customer  of 
the  bank,  coming  up,  caught  hold  of  one  of  the  guard  and 


"■!«■- 


12 


lii 


threw  liim  from  the  steps  of  the  bank  to  the  ground.  Two  of 
the  party  hastened  back,  one  of  them  shouting,  "  shoot  him, 
shoot  him,"  giving  this  order  to  the  man  under  filaisdell.  They 
then  took  Blaisdell  with  other  of  iuizens  across  the  street  to  the 
public  park,  where  there  were  a  number  of  persons  then  under 
gilard. 

The  names  of  the  persons  who  made  this  attack  upon 
this  bank,  as  afterwards  ascertained,  were  Joseph  McGrooty, 
Alexander  Pope  Bruce  and  Caleb  McDowell  Wallace,  the  latter 
claiming  to  be  a  nephew  of  the  late  Senator  Crittenden,  a  dis- 
tinguished statesman  from  Kentucky. 

General  John  Nason,  brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  a 
man  nearly  eighty  years  old,  was  in  the  bank  during  the  whole 
affray  and  was  engaged  in  reading  a  newspaper.  He  was  deaf, 
and  not  hearing  what  had  transpiied,  but  seeing  the  brandish- 
ing of  revolvers,  he  inquired  of  Sowles,  "What  gentlemen  are 
those?  It.  seems  to  me  they  are  rather  rude  in  their 
behavior." 

At  the  St.  Albans  Bank,  Cyrus  N.  Bishop,  Assistant  Cashier, 
and  Martin  A.  Seymour,  Clerk,  were  present.  Mr.  Bishop 
testified :  "  Two  strainers  stepped  up  to  the  counter  in  the 
bank  together,  and  at  once  presented  revolvers  at  me  over  the 
counter.  I  immediately  ran  into  the  directors'  room  and  un- 
dertook to  shut  the  door,  but  they  seized  hold  of  the  door  be- 
fore I  had  closed  it,  and  pressing  hard  against  it,  succeeded  in 
pushing  it  open.  They  then  seized  hold  of  me  with  one  hand 
and  pointed  large  navy  revolvers  at  me  with  the  other,  which 
revolvers  were  cocked,  threatening  to  blow  my  brains  out  if  I 
made  any  resistance  or  gave  any  alarm.  At  that  moment  three 
other  strangers  entered  the  bank,  each  with  a  revolver  in  his 
hand.  Then  they  inquired  where  we  kept  our  gold  and  silver. 
I  said  to  them  that  we  had  not  any  gold,  but  we  had  a  few 
hundred  dollars  in  silver,  which  was  in  a  small  safe  in  that 
room.  The  safe  being  locked,  they  forced  me  to  unlock  it  by 
threatening  my  life.  One  of  them  stood  guard  at  the 
entrance  of  the  bank  and  two  more  stood  guard  over  Mr.  Sey- 
mour, the  clerk,  and  myself,  while  the  other  two  proceeded  to 
take  the  mopey  out  of  the  safes  and  from  the  table  where  I 


•,  5  ■/ 


/     ' 


^l^.-tiajia^'^  ■  "•  -..••! 


13 


was  at  work  when  tlioy  first  entered  the  liank.  xVs  they  took 
the  money,  they  stuffed  it  into  their  pockets  and  haver- 
sacks, which  were  shing  across  theu'  shoulders.  I  asked 
them  'what  is  your  programme?'  They  said  that  they  were 
Confederate  soldiers  from  General  Early's  army  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley.  They  said  that  they  had  come  here  to 
rob  us  and  burn  our  town,  and  they  had  it  under  their  control 
at  that  moment.  They  then  said  thej  would  administer  the 
oath  of  the  Confederate  States  to  me.  The  leader  of  the  gang 
then  proceeded  to  administer  some  kind  of  an  oath  to  me.  He 
compelled  me  to  raise  up  my  right  hand  and  called  upon  me  to 
solemnly  swear  that  I  would  not  give  alarm  or  fire  upon  the 
Confederate  soldiers.  That  is  about  all  I  can  remember  of  the 
oath  in  question.  At  the  same  time  they  threatened  Mr. 
Seymour's  life,  and  administered  a  similar  oath  to  him. 
About  this  time  Samuel  Breck  came  to  the  outer  door.  One 
of  the  party  took  hold  of  him  by  the  collar  with, one  hand, 
presenting  a  revolver  at  him  with  the  other.  This  person 
demanded  Mr.  Breck's  money.  Mr.  Breck  replied,  'It  is  private 
property,'  when  this  mwi  said,  'I  don't  care  a  d — n  for  that.' 
After  taking  his  money,  he  was  forced  ^y  the  party  into  the 
directors'  room,  and  there  with  Mr.  Seymour  and  myself 
detained  as  prisoner."  ^ 

Mr.  Seymour's  testimony  was  substantially  like  that  of 
Mr.  Bishop,  only  he  says  his  captor  said,  "  Not  a  word  out  of 
your  head.  We  are  h  jre  to  retaliate  for  the  doings  of  General 
Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  There  are  seventy-five  men 
of  us  in  town.  We  have  got  possession  of  your  town  and  are 
going  to  biu'n  it."  During  this  time  the  leader  of  the  gang 
administered  what  he  called  the  " '  Confederate  oath,'  that  we 
would  do  nothing  to  injure  the  interests  of  the  Confederate 
Government ;  that  we  would  not  fire  upon  any  of  its  soldiers 
now  in  town,  and  that  we  would  not  tell  any  one  they  had 
been  there  within  two  hours  after  they  had  left."  They  took 
from  this  bank  $73,522.  Mr.  Bishop  afterwards  identified 
three  of  the  gang  in  open  couit,  who  gave  their  names  as 
Thomas  Bronsdon  Collins,  Marcus  Speer  and  Square  Turner 
Travis.  .         .    .       :. 


I 


;'- 


14 


I'.   'I 


E     B 


r  M 


At  the  Franklin  County  Bank,  Maicils  W.  BearclslGy; 
cashier,  and  one  Jackson  Clark,  a  wood  sawyer,  were  present, 
and  the  treatment  of  these  men  was  more  brutal  in  its  char- 
acter, if  possible,  than  either  of  the  others.  Mr.  Beardsley 
testified :  "Three  or  four  strangers  came  into  the  bank  at  the 
same  time,  and  took  position  near  the  window  opening  into 
the  street.  I  supposed  they  were  waiting  for  the  man  stand- 
ing at  the  counter  to  complete  his  business.  In  a  moment 
after,  one  of  the  meu  vho  had  last  entered  the  bank  stepped  a 
few  paces  towards  the  counter  and  drew  from  under  his  coat  a 
large  revolver  and  cocking  it,  pointed  it  directly  at  me  without 
a  word  being  said.  While  holding  it  pointed  at  me,  the 
stranger  who  had  first  entered  the  bank  spoke  to  me  saying, 
'We  are  Confederate  soldiers,  sir.  There  are  one  hundred  of 
us  in  town.  We  have  come  to  rob  the  banks  and  burn  your 
town  and  we  are  going  to  do  it.'  This  he  spoke  in  a  very 
determined  sort  of  a  way,  and  I  was  much  alarmed. 

At  that  time  a  man  L\  my  employ,  being  alarmed  at  the. 
demonstrations  that  were  being  made,  started  for  the  door. 
He  was  immediately  arrested  by  one  of  the  men,  who  put  a 
pistol  to  his  head  and  sftid,  'I  will  blow  your  brains  out  if  you 
stir  another  inch.'  Clark  was  ordered  to  be  put  into  the  vault 
of  the  bank.  The  man  in  command  then  ordered  me  'to 
bring  first  all  of  the  greenbacks  you  have  got,  and  then  all  the 
ottter  moneys  of  your  bank.'  I  opened  the  drawer  and  gav  ? 
him  all  the  greenbacks  we  had.  During  this  time  two  other 
men,  who  had  put  Clark  into  the  vault,  were  filling  their 
pockets  and  haversacks,  which  they  had  thrown  across  their 
shoulders,  with  the  bills  of  the  bank,  from  an  iron  safe  stand- 
ing within  the  vault,  the  door  of  which  was  open. 

All  the  men  were  soon  thus  engaged,  excepting  one,  who 
stood  at  the  door  at  the  entrance  of  the  bank.  At  this  time 
one  of  the  men  brought  out  of  the  vault  a  small  tin  trunk,  and 
aaid  to  mo,  'What  is  this?'  I  told  him  it  belonged  to  the  Tel- 
ler of  the  bank,  who  was  absent.  He  asked  me  what  was  in  it. 
I  told  him  I  did  not  know.  He  then  said  with  an  oath,  'I 
wiU  know  what  is  in  it.'  He  then  undertook  to  force  the 
cover  off,  but  failing,  threw  it  aside.    Then  he  stood  iip  in 


.,^-4-.-^  4i^^ 


~—'   II  ■  I 


15 


fi'ont  of  me  and  with  an  oath  said,  'you  keep  quiet  or  I  will 
iblow  your  brains  out.'  By  this  time  thoy  had  got  all  the 
moneys  of  the  bank.  The  men  all  came  out  of  the  vault,  ex- 
•cepting  Clark. 

The  leader  then  spoke  to  me  and  said,  'Come,  you  must  go 
into  the  vault.'  I  told  him  it  was  an  air-tight  place  and  I 
could  not  live  in  there.  I  said,  '  I  understand  what  your  object 
is.  It  is  that  x  shall  give  no  alarm.'  He  replied,  'no  matter, 
you  have  got  to  go  in.'  He  took  me  by  the  shoulders  and  put 
me  into  the  vault  where  Clark  was.  I  was  satisfied  that  if  I 
made  any  resistance  they  would  shoot  me. 

They  then  shut  the  two  sets  of  iron  doors  which  enclosed 
the  vault,  and  turned  the  bolts  from  the  outside,  so  that  we 
could  not  get  out.  I  very  much  feared  the  building  was  going 
to  be  burned,  as  they  had  stated.  In  about  twenty  minutes  I 
heard  footsteps  and  conversation  in  the  banking  room,  and  I 
made  a  noise  on  the  door  to  attract  attention.  THis  was  heard 
without  and  the  doors  were  unbolted  and  we  came  out  of  the 
vault.  The  persons  who  opened  the  vault  doors  were  J.  R. 
Armington  and  Dana  R.  Bailey.  I  found  myself  in  a  very 
prostrate  condition,  owing  to  the  close  atmosphere  in  a  small 
vault,  and  the  intense  fear  and  anxiety  that  I  had  passed 
through." 

The  amount  taken  from  the  bank  was  about  $70,000,  and 
the  only  person  indentified  as  having  participated  in  the 
affair  was  William  H.  Hutchinson,  who  resided  in  the  State  of 
Georgia,  and  who,  by  "the  fortunes  of  war"  had  lost  a  large 
fortune  on  account  of  his  secession  proclivities.  Lieutenant 
Young  had  pi'epared  "  a  proclamation "  which  he  designed  to 
have  read  to  the  people  of  St.  Albans,  but  in  his  hasty  retreat 
failed  to  do  so.  It  recited,  in  terms,  the  purpose  of  their  mis- 
sion, which  was  retaliation.  The  original  was  found  at  the  time 
,  but  couW  not  afterwards  be  found. 

What  transpired  in  the  streets  immediately  after  the  plunder- 
in<j  of  the  banks  is  best  described  in  the  testimony  of  Capt. 
George  P:  Conger,  then  a  late  captain  of  one  of  the  Vermont 
Cavalry  companies,  who  had  just  returned  from  the  war,  and 
who  had  seen  many  raids  in  Virginia.    He  says:  "On  that  day, 


f! 


' 


16 

a  little  after  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  rode  into  the 
northerly  part  of  the  village  of  St.  Albans  from  the  east.  I 
saw  a  great  crowd  of  people  towards  the  south  part  df  the 
business  portion  of  the  village,  around  the  American  House 
and  o'.ie  of  the  banks.  T  met  one  Basford  running  his  horse 
towards  me,  and  he  said,  'What  is  going  on  down  street? 
there  are  men  with  pistols,  taking  horses  from  the  stables,' 
and  wanted  to  knov^  what  it  all  meant.  I  said  to  him,  'It  is 
a  regular  raid.'  I  then  jumjaod  from  my  team  and  come 
south.  The  first  one  of  the  band  I  met  was  in  command, 
whom  I  afterwards  learned  was  Lieutenant  Beilnett  H.  Young, 
as  he  gave  me  his  name  and  that  of  his  orderly.  He  said, 
*Are  you  a  soldier?'  I  said,  'No.'  Then  he  said,  you  are  my 
prisoner,  oome  with  me  to  the  other  side  of  the  green,  opposite 
the  American  House.'  I  went  with  him.  I  said,  'I  will  take 
the  sidewalk,  as  the  road  is  all  mud.'  When  he  got  opposite 
the  Franklin  County  bank,  near  the  American.House,  Lieuten- 
anu  Young  said,  'Halt!'  He  said  to  his  orderly,  'You  take 
him  across  the  street.'  There  were  a  number  of  citizens  under 
guard  across  the  street,  on  the  public  green,  at  the  time.  I 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  not  be  arrested  by  the  band. 
I  got  away  from  them  and  ran  into  the  American  House,  and 
down  stairs,  and  down  l.une  street  by  the  back  way  and  then 
halloed  to  the  people,  'Bring  on  your  arms  for  a  fight;  there 
is  a  regular  raid  on  St.  Albans.'  Then  I  came  back  in  front 
of  the  American  House,  dressed  in  disguise.  About  that  time 
I  began  to  rally  the  citizens,  and  fire  arms  began  to  come  in. 
The  band  saw  the  arms  coming,  and  they  began  to  move  north. 
Then  Lieut.  Young  fell  in  the  rear  with  his  orderly.  He  says 
*Keep  cool  boys!'  'Keep  cool!'  One  Downing  says,  'Here  is 
a  rifle,  sure  fire,  and  well  loaded.'  I  snapped  it  three  times  at 
Young,  but  it  did  not  go  off.  I  then  followed  on  north  and 
got  some  caps  for  guns.  I  then  put  on  a  new  cap  and  came 
near  to  them.  Then  Young  and  his  orderly  both  fired  at  me 
twice.  He  then  said,  *  Keep  cool  boys,'  a  second  time.  His 
command  at  this  time  were  all  on  horseback.  I  then  overtook 
them  again,  with  a  large  number  of  citizens,  a  little  further 
north,  opposite  the  Tremont  House,  then  one  of  the  principal 


17 


do  the 

last.     I 

df  the 

I  House 

horse 

Jtreet  ? 

[tables,' 

It  is 


hotels  in  the  village,  and  tried  to  fire  apfain.  Then  the  firing 
began  on  both  sides  and  continued  a  running  fire  all  through 
the  streets  until  the  band  were  driven  out  of  the  village 
towards  Canada." 

While  this  firing  was  going  on,  Elias  J.  Morrison,  of 
Manchester,  N.  H.,  a  contractor  engaged  in  building  the 
Weldeu  Hoiise,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  bullet  passing 
into  his  bowels,  and  died  from  his  wounds  on  the  22d  of 
October,  18G4.  Mr.  Morrison  was  a  sympathizer  with  the 
South  on  the  issues  growing  out  of  the  rebellion.  He  had  held 
conversation  with  one  or  two  of  the  raiders  at  the  hotel 
a  few  days  before  the  raid,  *u  which  he  disclosed  to  them  his 
sentiments,  not  suspecting  the  real  character  and  purposes 
of  the  men.  They  afterwards,  on  learning  the  facts,  said  that 
the  shot  was  not  designed  for  »Mr.  Morrison,  but  for  other 
persons  skulking  behind  shade  trees  in  the  act  of  firing 
revolvers  at  them.  * 

Collins  H.  Huntington,  Esq.,  of  St.  Albans,  was  likewise  shot 
while  walking  on  the  street,  the  ball  passing  into  the  body  and 
striking  a  bone,  caused  it  to  change  its  course  and  thereby 
saved  his  life.  He  was  shot  by  Lieutenant  Young,  who  ordered 
him  to  "to  halt,"  which  he  declined  to  do,  but  bravely  marched 
along,  not  heeding  his  threats.  He  was  in  a  critical  condition 
for  several  weeks  and  finally  recovered  from  his  injuries. 

Lorenzo  Bingham  was  shot  in  the  side,  but  the  wound 
proved  to  be  a  slight  one  and  he  soon  recovered. 

Capt.  Conger  adds:  "I  then  said  to  the  citizens,  'bring  on 
your  horses,  men  and  arms,  and  we  will  follow  them.'  I  said, 
'if  you  can't  get  arms  there  is  no  use  of  following  them,  they 
are  going  to  fight  hard.'  The  citizens  did  find  horses  and 
some  arms,  and  I,  in  command,  pursued  this  band  and  came 
near  them  at  Sheldon,  Vermont.  They  were  trying  to  set 
buildings  on  fire,  but  we  pursued  them  so  closely  they  were 
obliged  to  leave.  They  set  two  bridges  on  fire  across  the 
river,  in  order  to  cut  ofif  our  pursuit,  but  my  men  put  out  the 
fires.  It  was  now  nearly  dark.  My  command  then  began  to 
falter,  as  they  were  not  used  to  such  service,  but  kept  following 
up  until  we  got  to  Enosburgh  Falls,  Vermont.     I  said  to  my 


u  • 


18 

men,  'I  want  you  to  follow  me.  I  am  £'olng  to  follow  those 
men  into  Canada,  we  have  got  to  have  another  fight,  and  I 
want  none  unless  they  are  willing  to  fight.'  There  were 
twenty-two  of  them  who  had  kept  up,  and  were  willing  to  fol- 
low me  wherever  I  wished  to  take  them.  I  then  marched  on 
'a  still  hunt'  to  Frelighsburgh  in  the  Province  of  Canada.  I 
then  formed  my  men  in  front  of  the  main  hotel  in  lino.  I  then 
entered  the  hotel  with  an  orderly  to  see  if  I  could  find  any  of 
the  band.  I  loarned  that  the  band  had  broken  and  dispersed 
in  every  direction  on  crossing  the  line  in  Canada. 

I  ordered  the  arrest  of  every  one  of  the  band  that  could  be 
found.  It  occurred  to  me  at  this  moment  that  I  was  in 
Canada,  and  I  therefore  ordered  my  men  back  into  the  State 
of  Vermont. 

It  was  now  near  morning  and  after  we  had  got  our  break- 
fast, I  said  to  my  men,  I  am  going  back  into  Canada,  and  all 
my  men  followed  me.  I  gj.To  tliem  orders  to  take  the  men 
comprising  said  band  wherever  found,  dead  or  alive.  As  I  was 
coming  in  sight  of  Frelighsburgh,  Canada,  I  saw  a  man  ap- 
proaching me  on  the  run.  I  ordered  a  halt.  The  man  gave 
me  a  dispatch  from  General  Dix,  forwarded  by  Colonel  Red- 
field  Proctor  from  Burlington  -and  by  Constable  L.  A.  Drew  as 
bearer  to  Colonel  Benton  at  St.  Albons,  and  thence  by  Mr. 
Drew  to  Frelighsburgh.  It  wa^i  as  follows :  '  Send  all  the 
efficient  force  you  have  and  try  to  find  the  marauders  who 
came  from  Canada  this  morning.  Put  a  discreet  officer  in 
command,  and  in  case  they  are  not  found  on  one  side  of  the 
line  pursue  them  into  Canada,  if  necessary,  a:^d  destroy  them."* 

Such  an  order  could  only  be  justifiable,  under  the  law  of 
nations,  where  the  neutral  is  so  feeble  as  to  render  it  impos- 
sible to  preserve  neutrality — which  could  not  have  been  said 
of  Great  Britain — and  hence  the  order  "'as  not  sanctioned  by 
the  Government  at  Washington,  and  all  that  was  done  under 
it  was  attended  with  extreme  peril  to  our  citizens.  Never- 
theless, the  order  accomplished  its  purposes  in  awakening 
Great  Britain  to  her  sense  of  danger,  chiefly  because  it  had  the 
ring  of  that  celebrated  order,  "If  any  man  hauls  down  the  flag 
shoot  him  on  the  spot."  ^ 


lit: 


,,  !#*»-'4,iii  «*.  #  . 


BBI 


19 


Capt.  Newton,  in  cumtnuntl  of  another  company,  took  tf 
weHtoi'ly  route,  with  a  view  of  ciittinjjf  ott'  the  retreat  of  the 
band,  but  waH  unable  to  do  so  for  want  of  time. 

The  reign  of  terror  in  the  village  of  St.  Albans,  during  the 
attack  and  immediately  following  it,  was  fearful.  Plunder  had 
been  accomplishd  and  violence  followed.  The  raid  was  brief 
but  the  scone  wos  terrible  while  it  lasted.  The  twenty  or 
more  marauders  rushed  up  and  down  the  streets,  tiring  their 
revolvers  in  every  direction.  Wherever  they  saw  a  citizen,  or 
groups  of  men,  they  would  fire  in  that  direction.  A.8  they  re- 
treated, they  tired  indiscriminately  at  men,  women  and 
children,  in  their  houses,  and  as  they  were  fleeing  from  them. 
They  had  magniticent  arms — seven  shooters — and  ?.b  fast  as 
one  weapon  was  unloaded,  they  drew  another  and  kept  up 
the  fusilade. 

This  reckless  use  of  firearms  could  only  result  in  injury  to 
some,  and  the  citizens  soon  began  to  return  the  fire  with  great 
courage.  The  marauders  designed  to  have  burned  the  village 
by  the  use  of  chemicals,  known  as  "Greek  fire,"  which  they 
threw  in  vials  against  the  buildings  on  the  streets,  breaking 
and  igniting  as  they  struck.  The  rear  of  the  American 
House  and  the  store  of  Hon.  Victor  Atwood  were  fired  in  this 
manner,  and  water  appeared  to  have  no  impression  on  it  as  an 
extinguisher.  It  could  only  be  arrested  and  extinguished  by 
hewing  it  out  of  the  wood. 

Indeed,  this  terror  was  not  confined  to  the  scene  of  convict 
alone.  It  8j)read  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning  throughout 
the  land,  and  threw  consternation  into  homes  and  villages 
along  the  entire  northern  frontier,  contiguous  to  the  Provinces 
of  Canada,  and  especially  on  the  northern  border  of  Vermont. 
At  Montpelier  the  Legislature  was  in  session  and  the  excite- 
ment was  intense.  It  was  the  prevailing  opinion  that  these 
marauders  were  but  the  advance  guards  of  an  army  from 
Canada,  which  had,  by  surprise  or  collusion,  temporarily  over- 
powered their  local  govenimeni,  and  were  marching  through 
our  State  carrying  all  the  hon*ors  of  war  to  our  homes  and 
firesides. 

Hon.  John  W.  Stewart  was  then  a  member  of  the  Legis- 


'4 


"  »i 


20 

latnro  and  was  appointod  a  committeo  to  wait  on  Gov.  Smith 
in  tho  Executive  chamber,  and  advise  with  him  in  regard  to 
the  emergency.  General  Washburn  was  Ukewise  present  and 
apparently  evinced  as  much  anxiety  and  concern  as  at  the 
battle  of  Big  Bethel. 

After  a  council  of  war,  Gov.  Smith  telegraphed  Lord  Monok, 
Governor- General  of  Canada,  as  follows:  "A  party  of  raiders 
from  the  Province  of  Canada  have  invaded  this  State,  have 
robbed  all  tho  banks  in  St.  Albans,  killed  several  citizens,  and 
are  plundering  and  destroying  property."  On  the  2l8t  of 
October,  1804,  Lord  Monck  replied,  "  Your  telegram  has  been 
received.  You  need  entertain  no  apprehension  that  tho  law 
will  not  be  impartially  administered.  An  able  magistrate, 
Judge  Coursol  of  Montreal,  has  charge  of  the  case." 

At  Burlington  the  wildest  consternation  prevailed.  It  was 
reported 'that  the  advance  was  general  and  the  raiders  had 
captured  one  of  the  steamers  belonging  to  the  Chaniplain 
Transportation  Company,  with  a  view  to  an  attack  ujion  all  the 
principal  ports  on  the  lake.  Oscar  A.  Burton,  Esq.,  President 
of  the  Company,  was  interviewed  and  immediately  sent  a 
telegram  to  Rouses  Point,  N.  Y.,  inquiring  for  particulars,  and 
on  learning  that  the  report  was  unfounded,  ordered  the  steamers 
at  Rouses  Point  to  be  moved  away  from  the  moorings  out  into 
the  lake  to  avoid  surprise.  He  also  furnished  the  crews  of  the 
various  steamers  with  revolvers,  in  order  to  prevent  and  sup- 
press piracy,  such  as  had  occurred  on  the  7th  of  December 
previously,  to  the  steamer  "Chesapeake,"  about  twenty  miles 
from  Cape  Cod,  when  certain  disloyal  men  embarked  at  New 
York  City  for  Portland,  Maine,  shot  some  of  the  officers  and 
took  control  of  the  vessel,  running  her  into  a  British  port. 

A  general  alarm  was  given  and  the  citizens  assembled  in 
large  numbers.  Speeches  were  made  and  the  press,  under  the 
direction  of  Hons.  G.  G.  Benedict  and  George  H.  Bigelow, 
faithfully  chronicled  the  important  events.  A  military  com- 
pany was  organized  on  the  spot.  A  train  of  cars  was  at  once 
dispatched  to  St.  Albans,  carrying  volunteers.    . 

Colonel  Benton  was  placed  in  command  of  the  militia  at  St. 
Albans,  and  Colonel  Proctor  at  Burlington.     Major  Grout  was 


21 


Hoon  after  onlcirod  to  St.  Albans  with  four  compauuiH  of 
cavalry  anil  two  Hold  pioceH,  whoro  ho  romainod  a  long  time. 
At  Ofjdonsbnrj?,  Buffalo,  Detroit  and  many  other  placcH,  tho 
excitement  was  groat  and  military  operations  became  active 
and  efficient,  and  ho  continued  that  fall  and  winter.  Humors 
of  contemplated  attacks  filled  the  air  until  the  following 
spring.  The  streets  of  the  principal  northern  villages  were 
patroled  during  that  fall  and  winter.  On  tho  19th  of 
December,  18(54,  Mr.  Seward  sent  a  dispatch  to  Minister 
Adams  for  Earl  Russell,  in  which  he  aptly  described  the  situa- 
tion. He  said:  "While  disappointment,  disgust  and  regret  on 
account  of  the  escape  of  tho  felons  at  Montreal  are  expressed 
by  the  Canadian  authorities,  and  while  the  expression  is 
believed  to  bo  sincere,  yet  we  have  no  authentic  information 
that  any  proceedings  have  been  taken  to  vindicate  tho  so  called 
neutrality  of  tho  British  pronncos,  or  prevent  repetition  of 
the  injuiies  of  which  we  complained,  other  than  tho  unavailing 
renewed  pursuit  of  the  offenders  out  of  one  colony  into 
another.  This  is  the  condition  of  affairs  on  the  other  side  of 
the  boundary. 

On  this  side  there  has  been  intense  feeling  and  energetic 
action.  Congress  has  passed  a  law  authorizing  the  building 
and  oquiijment  of  six  steam  revenue  cutters  for  service  on  the 
lakes. 

The  House  of  Representatives  has  passed  and  sent  to  the 
Senate,  a  bill  which  requests  the  President  to  give  notice 
needful  for  bringing  to  an  end  the  reciprocity  treaty.  Mr. 
Chandler,  one  of  the  Senators  of  Michigan  in  Congress,  has 
submitted  to  the  Senate  resolutions  of  which  a  copy  is  hereto 
annexed.  In  submitting  thorn,  he  discussed  with  severity  and 
frankness  the  relations  of  the  United  States  and  the  British 
Provinces.  *  *  «  *  «  # 

Thus  it  appears  that  owing  to  transactions,  for  which  the 
XTnitod   States   believe  themselves  perfectly  irresponsible,   a 
crisis  has  been  reached,  which  does  not   suffer    American 
citizens  living  in,  or  near,  the  British  border,  to  navigate  the 
frontier  lakes  and  rivers  in  safety. 

Their  treasure  is  not  safe  in  their  vaults,  and  their  sleep  is 


/ 


4. 


il 


.I'll ' 
m 


m 


1'  Hi' 


22 

disturbed  by  well-founded  apprehensions  df  midnight  fire,  rob- 
bery and  murderous  aggressions,   from   the   British    border 

,  provinces.  Our  appeals  and  our  remonstrances  to  Her 
Majesty's  government  have  not  gained  for  us  any  assurance  of 

\    greater  security  in  the  future." 

'  No  doubt  these  fears  and  apprehensions  were  greatly  en- 
hanced by  the  fact  that  the  attack  on  St.  Albans  had  partially 
failed.     The  writer  afterwards  learned  from  one  of  the  raiders 

j  that  their  plan  was  to  tire  the  residence  of  Governor  Smith,  on 
the  hill,  at  a  distance,  and  while  the  inhabitants  were  rushing 
to  the  scene  of  conflagration,  they  designed  to  carry  out  their 
plans.  This  they  feared  might  result  in  closing  the  banks,  and 
as  the  marauders  were  "broke"  they  abandoned  that  idea. 

A  letter  addressed  to  the  Hon.  J.  P.  Benjamin,  rebel 
Secretary  of  State,  Richmond,  Va.,  dated  St.  Catharines, 
C.  W.,  November  Ist,  18G4,  and  with  the  initial  letters,  "C.  C. 
C,  Jr.,"  on  it,  evidently  written  by  C.  C.  Clay,  Jr.,  was  inter- 
cepted- by  Major-General  Augui*  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
November  12th,  1864.  The  bearer  of  it  claimed  to  have  been 
a  detective  of  the  United  States,  in  Montreal,  and  as  they 
wanted  to  engage  him  for  the  service,  it  would  ill  become  his 
profession  to  refuse  "a  job."  So  he  undertook  it.  This  letter 
fully  disclosed  the  design  and  extent  of  the  raid.  Mr.  Clay 
says  therein:  "I  met  Mr.  Young  at  Halifax,  on  my  way  here  in 

.  May  last.  He  showed  me  letters  from  men  whom  I  knew  by 
loputation  to  be  true  friends  of  State  Rights  and,  therefore,  of 
Southern  independence,  vouching  for  his  integrity  as  a  man, 
his  purity  as  a  Christian  and  his  loyalty  as  a  soldier  of  the 
South.  After  satisfying  me  that  his  heart  was  with  us  in  our 
struggle,  and  that,  he  had  suffered  imprisonment  for  many 
months  as  a  soldier  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America,  from 
which  he  had  escaped,  he  develop  3d  his  plans  for  retaliating 
some  of  the  injuries  and  outrages  inflicted  upon  the  South. 

I  thought  them  feasible  and  fully  warranted  by  the  law  of 
nations,  and  therefore  recommended  him  and  his  plans  to  the 
Secretary  of  War.  He  was  sent  back  by  the  Secretary  of  V/ar 
with  a  commission  as  Second  Lieutenant,  to  execute  his  plans 
and  purposes,  but  to  report  to  Hon. and  myself. 


23 


We  prevented  his  achieving  or  attempting:  what  I  was  sure 
he  could  have  done,  for  reasons  which  may  be  fully  explained 
hereafter.  Finally,  disappointed  ifl  his  original  purpose,  and 
in  all  the  subsequent  enterprises  projected,  he  proposed  to 
return  to  the  Confederate  States  via  Halifax,  but  passing 
through  the  New  England  States  and  burning  some  towns, 
and  robbing  them  of  whatever  he  could  convert  to  the  uoe  of  the 
Confederate  Government.  This  I  approved  as  justifiable  retalia- 
tion. He  attempted  to  burn  the  town  of  St.  Albans,  Vermont, 
and  would  have  succeeded  but  for  the  failure  of  the  chemical 
preparations  with  which  he  was  armed.  Believing  the  town 
was  already  fired  in  several  places,  and  must  be  destroyed,  he 
then  robbed  the  banks  of  all  the  funds  he  could  find,  amount- 
ing to  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

That  he  wtis  not  prompted  by  selfish  or  mercenary  motives, 
and  that  he  did  not  intend  to  convert  the  funds  taken  to  his 
own  use,  but  to  that  of  the  Confederate  States,  I  am  as  well 
satisfied  as  I  am  that  ho  is  an  honest  man,  a  true  soldier  and 
patiiot,  and  no  one  wUo  knows  him  will  question  his  title  to 
this  c  aracter. 

He  assured  me  before  going  on  the  raid  that  his  efforts 
would  be  to  destroy  towns  and  farm  houses,  not  to  plunder  or 
rob ;  but  he  said,  if,  after  firing  a  town,  he  saw  he  could  take 
funds  from  a  bank  or  any  house,  whicii  might  inflict  injury  on 
the  enemy  and  benefit  his  own  government,  he  vrould  do  so. 
He  added  most  emphatically  that  whatever  he  took  should  be 
turned  over  to  the  government,  or  its  representatives  in  foreign 
lands. 

My  instructions  to  him,  oft  repeated,  were,  '  to  destroy  what- 
ever was  valuable,  not  to  stop  to  rob,  but  if,,after  firing  a  town 
he  could  seize  and  carry  off  money,  treasury  or  bank  notes,  he 
might  do  so  on  condition  that  they  were  delivered  to  the  prop- 
er authorities  of  the  C(mfederate  States.'  That  they  were  not 
delivered  according  to  his  promise  and  undertaking  was  owing, 
I  am  sure,  to  the  failure  of  his  chemical  compound  to  fire  the 
town,  and  to  the  capture  of  himself  and  men  on  Canadian  soil, 
whore  they  wore  surjirised  and  overpowered  by  superior  num- 
bers from  the  United  States.     On  showing  me  his  commission 


24 

and  liis  instnictions  from  Mr.  Siddon,  which  were  of  course 
vague  and  indefinite,  he  said  he  was  authorized  to  do  all  the 
damage  he  could  to  the  enemy  in  the  way  of  retaliation." 

As  in  the  national  struggle  then  going  on,  the  loyal  peo- 
ple of  the  north  seldom  failed  to  inflict  blows  as  well  as  re- 
ceive them,  so  in  this  raid  the  insurgents'  raiders  suffered 
injury.  Ex-Govninor  Wescott,  formerly  Governor  and  U.  S. 
Senator  from  Florida,  now  residing  in  Canada,  who  was  of 
counsel  for  the  raiders,  furnished  the  writer  with  much  valua- 
ble information  as  to  the  extent  of  suffering  by  the  raiders 
while  pursuing  their  attack  on  St.  Albans.  He  said  that  one 
of  the  leaders  wlio  first  suggested  the  idea  of  raids  on  north" 
ern  frontier  towus  while^  at  Camp  Douglass,  in  Chicago,  as  a 
pisoner  of  war,  was  wounded  in  the  back  by  a  conical  ball, 
and  had  to  be  supported  by  two  of  his  companions  riding  on 
each  side  of  him  until  they  reached  British  soil.  He  was  then 
concealed  in  the  woods  so  as  to  prevent  capture,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  attended  professionally  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Brigham,  a 
southern  sympathizer.  This  man  was  doubtless  shot  by 
Wilder  Gilson,  of  St.  Albans,  who  always  insisted  that  as  the 
raiders  were  riding  out  of  town,  he  took  deliberate  aim  with 
his  favorite  rifie,  loaded  with  a  conical  ball,  and  as  he  fired  his 
gun  he  saw  one  of  the  leaders  on  horse-back  jump  as  if  wound- 
ed, and  immediately  rode  away.  A  holster,  with  a  revolver, 
was  found  beai'ing  marks  of  blood,  which  disclosed  the  fact 
that  some  one  was  severely  wounded. 

Another  was  wounded  in  the  neck  by  a  bullet  passing  near 
the  jugular  vein,  and  was  captured,  and  during  the  first  hear- 
ing for  their  extradition,  wore  a  white  handkerchief  around 
his  neck  to  conceaj  his  wound  as  well  as  his  guilt. 

And  another  was  slightly  wounded — a  flesh  wound.  And 
still  another  was  so  severely  wounded  that  he  afterwards  died 
in  Montreal,  and  was  buried  by  his  companions.  This  latter 
person,  Gov.  Wescott  said,  was  so  severely  wounded  that  he 
> stopped  over  night  at  a  farm  house  within  three  miles  of  St. 
Albans,  with  a  sympathizer,  and  the  following  night  was  con- 
veyed into  Canada  by  British  subjects,  and  fully  cared  for  un- 
til his  death.     Mr.  Wescott  also  stated  that  several  persons 


25 


course 
all  the 

Q." 

i^al  peo- 
11  as  re- 
sulTered 
id  U.  S. 
was  of 
I  valua- 
raiders 
that  one 
n  north" 
igo,  as  a 
cal  ball, 
ding  on 
vas  then 
s  said  to 
gham,  a 
shot  by 
t  as  the 
im  with 
fired  his 
f  wound- 
revolver, 
the  fact 

ng  near 
•st  hear- 
'  around 

d.  And 
:ds  died 
lis  latter 
that  he 
P  of  St. 
vokB  con- 
for  un- 
persons 


who  designed  to  have  participated  in  the  raid  failed  to  reach 
St.  Albans  in  time,  and  that  as  late  as  the  evening  of  the  fol- 
lowing day  he  met  one  of  them  on  board  of  one  of  the  Lake 
Cha  jplain  steamers,  who  had  in  his  possession,  in  a  trunk,  a 
quantity  of  "  Greek-fire,''  which  was  afterwards,  by  his  advice, 
thrown  overboard  to  prevent  detection  and  arrest. 

There  were  also  about  fifty  others  who  failed  to  "  put  in  "  an 
appearance  in  time,  or  who  were  skulking  in  the  neighboring 
woods  ready  to  participate  vintil  tlieir  coui'age  f'^iled  them. 

After  receiving  General  Dix's  dispatch,  the  pursuing  party 
and  others  captured  ard  assisted  Canadian  officials  in  captur- 
ing fourteen  of  the  raiders  and  about  iS86,000  of  their  booty. 
One  of  the  gang   immediately  sent  the  following  dispatch: 

*'  George  N.  Sanders,  Ottawa  Hotel,  Montreal  : 

We  are  captured.     Do  what  you  can  for  us. 

C.  M.  Wallace." 

Lieutenant  Young,  the  leader,  was  recognized  and  captured 
by  George  Beals  and  E.  D.  Fuller,  on  Canadian  soil.  He  ex- 
pressed to  his  captors  his  regret  that  his  party  did  not  burn 
B  t.  Albans,  but  they  were  so  fast  for  plunder  that  they  neglect- 
ed to  do  so.  Shortly  thereafter  Young  wrote  the  following 
letter : 

Frelighsburgh,  C.  E.,  Saturday,  Oct.  21. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Evening  Telegraph : 

"  Through  the  columns  of  your  journal  I  wish  to  make  some 
statements  to  the  peojile  of  Canada,  regarding  the  recent  oper- 
ations in  Vermont.  I  went  there  for  the  purpose  of  burning 
the  town  and  surrounding  villages  in  retaliation  for  the  recent 
outrages  committed  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  elsewhere 
in  the  Confederate  Stai,3s.  I  am  a  commissioned  officer  of 
the  Provisional  Army  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  have  vio- 
lated no  laws  of  Canada.  I  do  not  wish  my  name  coupled 
with  the  epithets  now  applied  without  a  knowledge  on  the  part 
of  the  people  of  Canada,  as  to  who  we  are  and  what  caused 
our  action.  I  wish,  also,  to  make  a  few  statements  as  to  how 
myself  and  party  were  taken.  T  was  seized  on  Canadian  soil 
by  American  citizens  with  arms  in  their  hands  and  violently 


iiii 


i 


1 1 


m 
w 

I  n 


i 


.f 


26 

searched.  My  pocket-book  was  taken  from  me,  and  I  was 
started  towards  tlie  United  States.  I  reached  out  my  hand 
and  caught  the  reins  of  my  horse,  when  three  pistols  were 

leveled  at  my  head,  with  threats  to  shoot  the  d d  scoundrel 

dead,  if  he  moved.  Some  Canadian  citizens  then  spoke  up 
and  the  Americans,  seeing  the  bailiff,  started  with  me  toward 
him,  two  of  them  holding  arms  in  their  hands.  These  state- 
ments can  be  proved  by  Canadian  citizens.  The  Americans 
came  into  this  place  and  even  beyond  it,  brandishing  guns  and 
threatening  to  kill  some  of  us  even  after  we  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  English  authorities.  Siu'ely  the  people  of  Vermont 
must  have  forgottei^  that  the  people  of  danada  are  not  in  the 
midst  of  war,  and  ruled  by  a  man  despotic  in  his  actions  and 
supreme  in  his  infamy.  I  am  not  afi'aid  to  go  •  before  the 
courts  of  Canada,  and  when  the  affair  is  investigated,  I  am 
satisfied  that  the  citizens  of  Vermont,  and  not  my  party, 
will  be  found  to  be  the  violators  of  Canadian  and  English 
law.  Some  one  I  hope,  will  be  sent  to  investigate  this 
breach  of  neutrality,  and  award  to  those  American  citizens 
doing  armed  duty  in  Canada,  the  just  merit  of  their  trans- 
gressions." 

Hoping  you  will  give  this  a  pubh  cation, 

I  remain,  Yours  EespectfuUy, 

Bennett  H.  Young. 
•     First  Lieutenant  Provisional  Armj', 
Confederate  States  of  America. 

Hon  R.  H.  Hoyt,  Alanson  M.  Clark,  C.  C.  Burton,  Mar- 
shal Mason,  and  many  others  from  St.  Albans,  interviewed 
Lieutenant  Young  at  Frelighsburgh,  and  acquainted  him 
with  the  fact  that  many  widows  and  orphans  would  suffer  in 
consequence  of  his  depletion  of  the  vaults  of  the  banks  at  St. 
Albans.  He  retorted,  by  saying  that  that  was  all  very  nice 
talk  when  applied  to  the  northern  people,  but  that  it  had  no 
significance  with  the  northern  armies  then  subjugating  the 
south  by  means  of  fire,  the  sword  and  the  musket. 

He  himself  had  suffered  even  more  than  the  horrors  of  the 
battlefield.     He  had  been  bereft  of  his  kin,  and  boastfully  de- 


ii 


27 


ciarotl,  as  also  ilid  Georgo  W.  Saiulers,  at  St.  Johns,  that  this 
iucursion  was  but  the  beginnmg  of  a  series  of  attacks  which 
would  tenify  the  people  of  the  northern  border  states,  so  that 
they  wou'id  release  the  final  grasp  they  then  held  at  the  neck 
of  the  rebellion. 

These  facts  were  testified  to,  substantially,  by  H.  G.  Edson 
Esq.,  at  the  military  trial  of  the  assassins  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
he  having  been  of  counsel  for  the  U.  S.  Government  and  the 
banks,  with  Hon.  Geo.  F.  Edmunds,  the  writer,  and  others,  in 
the  application  for  the  extradition  of  the  raiders. 

Their  pursuers  labored  under  many  difficulties  on  account  of  / 

the  extreme  friendliness  of  thb  TJanadian  constabulary  and  ) 

authorities.     There  were,  however,  some  notable  exceptions,  i 

where  even  prol'ered  bribes  of  the  raiders  would  not  influence  ' 
the  higher  sense  of  justice. 

Mr.  Whitman,.a  Magistrate  of  Stanbridge,  an  American  by 
birth,  buo  a  naturalized  British  subject,  was  instrumental  in 
capturing  and  saving  about  $53,000  of  moneys  and  securities, 
and  acting  under  the  advice  of  J.  C.  Baker  Esq.,  not  only  held 
them,  but  transferred  them  into  the  hands  of  the  Canadian 
authorities.  Nearly  all  others  were  recreant  and  gave  away  to 
temptation. 

One  Anson  Kemp,  a  Canadian  official,  received  from  Wallace 
a  package  containing  $10,000  of  funds,  which  he  retained. 
One  Wells,  a  Bailiff,  assisted  in  securing  $1500  in  the  shed  of 
a  hotel.  One  Manahan,  a  Lawyer,  likewise  secreted  quite  an 
amount.  Afterwards  Wallace  and  Swager  were  discharged  as 
belligerents,  and  they  returned  to  Frelighsburgh  and  de- 
manded the  moneys  they  had  left  with  the  above  officials,  and 
which  they  had  aj^propriated  to  their  own  use, — but  when  liti- 
gation became  imminent,  they  each  paid  back  to  the  raiders, 
instead  of  the  real  owners,  the  several  amounts  left  with  them, 
or  portions  of  it.  This  appeared  clearly  from  the  testimony 
of  Ambrose  L.  Hall  and  Charles  O.  Standish,  who  both  resid- 
ed at  Frelighsburgh  at  the  time,  and  the  latter  acted  as  the 
bearer  of  dispatches  fi'om  liieut.  Young  to  Clay  and  Sanders, 
at  Montreal,  on  the  night  of  the  raid. 


28 


i    ■  'V' 


i^  flip 


Search  warrants  and  warrants  for  arrest  were  refused  hy 
the  Canadian  Magistrates  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  and 
especially  by  Mr.  Kemp,  the  Magistrate  at  Frelighsburgh,  who 
claimed  that  he  had  no  power  under  Canadian  laws  to  issue 
even  a  search  warrant,  after  an  affidavit  had  been  filed  upon 
which  to  base  its  issuance.  This  and  similar  obstacles,  of 
course,  rendered  the  further  pursuit  and  capture  of  men  and 
money  almost  impossible,  although  such  offenders  as  had  been 
captured  were  held  to  await  application  for  extradition,  under 
fj\:      the  10th  Article  of  the  Webster:Ji,shbvHrJkaiJ:imiffi^aa^ 

Mr.  Seward,  on  the  21st  of  October,  1864,  demanded,  under  . 
that  treaty,  the  extradition  of  the  fugitives,  and  the  surrender 
of  the  money  and  securities,  but  the  subsequent  conduct  of 
British  officials  will  show  clearly  the  prevailing  sympathy,  if 
not  corruption,  of  some  of  the  officials. 

Prior  to  1861,  Justices  of  the  Peace  had  jurisdiction  in 
such  cases,  but  the  celebrated  Anderson  case,  t*hat  of  a  negro 
from  Missouri  who  shot  his  master  while  the  latter  was  brut- 
ally pursuing  him,  involved  such  complications,  that  Parlia- 
ment in  1861  gave  such  jurisdiction  exclusively  to  judges  of  a 
court  of  record.  Hence  Lord  Monck  directed  Charles  J.  Cour- 
sol,  a  Police  Judge  of  Montreal,  to  proceed  to  Stanbridge  and 
take  the  prisoners  into  custody  and  try  them  on  such  applica- 
tion, which  he  did,  taking  them  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Justices.  He  accordingly  removed  the  prisoners  to  St.  Johns, 
where  they  were  placed  in  jail.  They  were  arraigned  before 
him,  and  as  the  preliminary  affidavits  were  being  drawn  up, 
the  magistrates  were  ordered  to  deliver  over  the  money  and 
secmities  they  held,  into  the  hands  of  one  Guilliam  LaMothe, 
then  a  chief  of  police  of  Montreal 

The  writer,  as  counsel  for  the  several  banks,  protested 
against  such  transfer,  when  Judge  Coursol  exhibited  to  him  a 
despatch  directing  him  to  appoint  an  agent  to  receive  those 
funds,  to  be  used  as  evidence  on  behalf  of  the  government  in 
their  application  for  their  extradition,  which  made  the  Cana- 
dian Government  liable  for  their  safe  keeping. 

After  the  completion  of  the  affidavits,  and  the  issuance  of 
the  necessary  warrants,  rumors  of  contemplated  raids  from 


,M 


i? 


m 


29 


jed  by 
,  and 
,  who 
issue 
upon 
es,  of 
en  and 
d  been 
under 

under 
render 
luct  of 
thy,  if 


negro 


the  United  States,  for  the  pretended  purpose  of  kidnapping 
the  raiders,  were  started  by  their  friends.  This  was  a  ruse, 
started  for  the  purpose  of  getting  an  order  from  the  governor 
or  the  attorney-general  of  Canada  to  remove  the  prisoners  to 
Montreal,  where  they  could  find  more  congenial  spirits,  in  the 
persons  of  their  relatives,  acquaintances  and  sympathizers,  of 
both  sexes.  They  were  accordingly  ordered  to  be  removed,  against 
the  protest  of  some  of  the  sufferers,  and  as  they  entered  the 
city  of  Montreal,  they  were  greeted  by  the  coL^ratulations  of 
their  friends  and  the  huzzahs  of  the  multitude. 

A  company  of  artillery  accompanied  them  from  the  depot  to 
prison,  which  served  the  double  purpose  of  an  escort  for 
the  raiders,  and  an  assurance  of  fidelity  to  the  interests  of 
the  United  States.  The  display  was  a  ''no  one,  and  gave  uni- 
versal satisfaction.  At  the  prison  they  were  warmly  received. 
Their  apartments  were  furnished  with  all  the  modern  hotel 
improvements  on  *'  the  European  plan." 

Their  dinners  were  served  with  "  bills  of  fare,"  not  omitting 
"  the  wine  list,"  by  competent  attendants,  such  as  would  grace 
the  table  of  a  prince.  Lieut.  Young  facetiously  refers  to  it  in 
the  ftilowing  characteristic  letter : 

"Montreal,  Nov.  17,  18C4. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  St.  Albans  Messenger — 

Would  you  please  send  me  two  copies  of  your  daily.  Dur- 
ing the  present  investigation,  your  editorials  are  quite  inter- 
esting, and  will  furnish  considerable  amusement  to  myself 
and  comrades.  You  are  somewhat  abusive,  but  I  am  sufficiently 
magnanimous  to  overlook  your  ire,  feeling  that  in  after  years 
you  will  do  me  the  justice  to  repair  the  wrong. 

I  am  extremely  sorry  that  I  cannot  visit  your  town  and  sub- 
scribe for  your  valuable  journal  in  person.  My  business 
engagements  in  Montreal  prevent  my  coming  at  present.  Ad- 
dress me  care  '  Montreal  jail.'  Should  you  not  send  me  the 
papers,  I  hope  you  will  remit  enclosed  bill  by  return  mail. 
Should  you  visit  Montreal  in  the  next  few  weeks,  I  will  be 
found  at  Payette's  Hotel,  (the  jail,)  and  will  be  grateful  to  see 
you.  Yours  Respectfully, 

Bennett  H.  Young. 

First  Lieut.  Provisional 

Army  Confederate  Slates." 


4 
liiii 


t|l|l 


li'i 

III  !F 


*       80 

Acconipaiiyiiig  the  foregoing  letter  was  a  three  dollar  St.  . 

•         Albans  bank  bill,  which,  it  was  found,  did  not  come  into  his 

possession  honestly.     Tlie«tone  of  this  letter  was  in  wide  con- 

z  trast  with  Young's  professions  in  18G1,  when  he  \fUs  a  theolcg- 

^ — ical  student  at  Toronto,  Canada  West. 

Here  litigation  and  technicality  began,  and  writs  of  habeas 
corpus  were  invoked.  Here  treachery  and  bribery  insidiously 
crept  in  and  exhibited  themselves. 

On  the  day  following  the  raid,  when  Judge  Ooursol  was 
applied  to  as  the  commander  of  the  Militia  in  the  district  of 
Montrp".!,  which  embraced  the  Southern  frontier  of  Canada 
bordering  on  Vermont,  and  which  included  the  police  and 
detective  fprces  therein,  he  assured  Hon.  A.  O.  Aldis  and  a 
cashier  of  one  of  the  banks,  that  he  knew  of  a  man  Avho  would 
secure  the  extradition  of  the  raiders  without  question  for  the 
sum  of  $10,000.  The  keen  perception  of  these  gentlemen 
was  not  slow  in  detecting  that  the  British  Judge  himself  was 
the  person.  Judge  Aldis  at  once  replied  that  the  banks  had 
offered  a  reward  of  $10,000  for  the  surrender  of  the  men  and 
securities,  payable  on  their  conviction,  or  the  delivery  of  the 
funds.  Hence  this  British  Judge,  as  he  was  pleased  to  call 
himself,  half  French  and  apparently  half  Aborigenes,  exhibited 
great  zeal  at  the  first  healing,  which  lasted  several  days  after 
the  raid,  and  down  to  the  13th  of  November  18G4,  when  a  con- 
tinuance of  thirty  days  was  asked  for  by  the  counsel  for 
the  prisoners  and  granted.  Two  bearers  of  dispatches  were 
immediately  separately  sent  from  Montreal  to  Bichmond,  Va., 
for  the  pur""^se  of  getting  record  evidence  of  the  appointment 
of  Lieut.  Young  by  Jefferson  Davis,  to  undertake  the  raid.  One 
of  them  was  captured  by  General  Augur,  on  the  12tli  of  No- 
vember, 1864,  and  the  other,  S.  F.  Cameron,  a  Chaplain  in  the 
Confederate  service,  ran  the  Union  lines  and  entered  Bichmond 
in  safety.  While  crossing  the  Potomac  river  below  Washing- 
ton, on  the  route,  their  small  boat  was  capsized  by  a  shot 
from  a  Union  battery  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  one  of  the 
pai'ty  drowned.  Cameron,  however,  reached  shore  and  passed 
through  St.  Albans  in  the  character  and  habiliments  of  a 
Roman  Catholic  Priest,  accompanied  by  two  women  dressed  in 


m 


31 


the  robos  of  uuiiH.     This  so  oliulod  the  vi{,'ilance  of  tho  dotoc 
tiveH  that  they  paHSOil  into  Canada  unsoarched.     Mr.  Cameron 
li's  since    written  a  book  entitled,  '  Tho  (confederate  Secret 
Service,"  which  was  widely  circulated  at  the  South,  similar  to 
'*  Baker's  Secret  Service." 

During  tho  interim  of  adjournments,  counsel  for  the  prison- 
ers wore  l)usily  engaged  in  their  efforts  to  find  grounds  to 
secure  their  relo-iao.     Judge  Coursol  and  Edward  Carter  had 
been  appointed  by  Attorney-General  George  E.  Cartier  to  pre- 
pare tho  warrants  upon  which  the  prisoners  were  held.     These 
warrants  were  said  to  have  been  defective,  and  hence  illega]^^ 
and  this  fact  was  well  known  to  the  law  officers  of  the  Cana- 
dian Government  before  tho  final  hearing.     Mr.  Carter,  how- 
ever, disclosed  their  defects  to  Mr.  Kerr,  of  counsel  for  the 
prisoners,  who  was  liis  brother-in-law.     Accordingly,  Mr.  Kerr, 
on  the  13th  of  December,  1804,  the  day  on  which  the  case 
stood  adjourned,  and  before  a  portion  of  tho  counsel  of  the 
United  States  and  the  banks  had  arrived,  moved  before  Judge 
Coursol  that  the  prisoners  be  discharged  on  account  of  these 
defects.     Wliereupon  Judge  Coursol,  in  a  very  precipitate  man- 
ner, after  delivering  a  lengthy  opinion — which  could  not  have 
been  prepared  by  him  in  the  short  time  allotted  him  for  that 
purpose — not  only  discharged  the  prisoners  for  the  particular 
oifence  on  which  he  had  had  a  hearing,  but  likewise  on  five 
other  separate  offences  and  warrants  upon  which  no  hearings 
had  been  had,  and  ordered  the  money  and  securities  captured 
from  them,  and  in  the  custody  of  the  law,   restored  to  their 
agent,  for  which  written  orders  had  previously  been  prepared 
and  held  in  readiness. 

The  writer  was  the  only  person  present  in  the  court-room 
from  Vermont,  at  the  time — others  having  been  detained  by  a 
storm,  and  the  scene  in  the  court-room  which  followed  their 
discharge  was  a  disgrace  to  any  court  of  justice.  The  final 
announcement  of  their  dischai'ge  was  attended  with  rounds  of 
applause  and  screams  never  before  heard  or  known  in  a  court 
of  ju'stice,  in  which  all  seemed  to  participate.  Then  there  was 
a  rush  for  the  doors  and  streets,  and  the  news  spread  through 
the  city  and  country  with  great  celerity. 


MJ  t 


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■  :  !  I    i 

'fin 

mv 


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ii  it  i 


ijii 


Hon.  John  Rose,  of  couusol  for  the  United  States,  then  one 
of  the  Canailiau  ministcrH,  protested  against  such  conduct. 
Hon.  Barney  Devehn  followed  him,  by  warning  the  Canadians 
that  such  a  course  would  be  denounced  by  the  United  States 
with  great  severity,  and  would  prove  detrimental  to  the  prov- 
inces. Counsel  from  the  United  States  could  only  express 
their  opinions  outside  of  the  court  room,  as  they  were  not  per- 
mitted i\t  any  time  to  address  the  court,  because  they  had  not 
been  admitted  to  the  Canadian  bar  and  adopted  the  customary 
"  robes  and  choker."  Hon.  Geo.  F.  Edmunds  was  iniiuired  of 
if  he  designed  to  return  to  Montreal  in  the  event  of  the  recap- 
ture of  any  of  the  men  to  ask  for  theii*  extradition.  He  (piick- 
ly  x'eplied  that  "if  he  did  it  would  be  at  the  head  of  a  regi- 
ment." 

Mr.  Seward,  in  his  letter  to  Minister  Adams,  under  date  of 
December  24th,  1804,  fitly  describes  what  followed.     Ho  says : 
"  In  ray  dispatch  of  the  14th  inst.  I  informed  you  that  Coursol, 
the  Provincial  Judge  at  Montreal,  had  set  at  liberty  the  fellows 
who  committed  the  crimes  of  robbery  and  murder  at  St.  Albans. 
Subsequent  information  comprises  the  fact,  with  the  addition 
that  the  money  stolen,  to  the  amount,  as  it  is  understood,  of 
ninety  thousand  dollars,  which  was  in  the  custody  of  the  law, 
was  delivered  to  the  felons  by  the  police,  under  the  direction 
of  the  same  judge,  and  that  thus  richly '  furnished  with  the 
spoils  of  our  citizens,  they  were  conveyed,  amid  popular  accla- 
mation, in  sleighs  which  had  been  prepared  for  their  escape, 
from  the  court-room,  beyond  the  reach  of  fresh  pursuit;  that 
the  discharge   of  the  prisoners  was   placed  upon   technical 
grounds,  now  confessed  to  be  erroneous,  equally  in  law  and  in 
fact ;  that  when  new  warrants  were  issued,  the  police  were  dil- 
atory and  treacherous  in  their  execution,  and  that  all  efforts  for 
the  recapture  of  the  culprits  have  thus  far  been  unsuccessful. 
It  is  believed  that  they  have  already  escaped  from  Canada  to 
find  even  more  sure  protection  and  favor  in  Nova  Scotia.     It 
is  impossible  to  consider  those  proceedings  as  either^legal,  just, 
or  fi'iendly  towards  the  United^Sta^s." 
.  I      Mr.  Richie,  the  partner  of  the  Hon.  John  Rose,  in  company 
with  the  writer,  immediately  prepared  fresh  affidavits  and^ 


ilili. 


33 


wurmutH  for  tho  aiTOnt  of  i\u)  fiigitivo",  aiul,  aftor  applying  to 
two  of  tho  jiidgoH  of  the  Suporior  Court  of  Canada  to  sign  a 
warrant  for  that  piirpo.-io,  and  rocoiving  direct  refusals,  finally 
Bucceoded  in  prevailing  upon  Judge  James  Smith,  another 
Superior  Judge,  to  sign  a  warrant.  Mr.  llichie  and  Hon.  Geo. 
F.  Edmunds  then  applied  to  Mr.  Lamothe,  chief  of  police,  to 
execute  the  warrant,  but  he  declined  and  likcNvise ,  declined  to 
permit  any  one  of  his  numerous  police  force  to  execute  tho 
same.  Finally,  at  a  late  hour  that  night,  the  High  Sheriff  of 
Montreal  was  prevailed  upon  to  take  tho  warrants,  and,  aft(n' 
several  days'  pursuit  by  a  faithful  government  policeman,  Mr. 
McLaughlin,  five  of  tho  number  wore  recaptured;  namely, 
Young,  Travis,  Spurr,  Hutchinson  and  Swager,  who,  after  a 
protracted  hearing,  were  discharged  by  Judge  Smith,  on  tho 
ground  that  they  were  belligerents  against  the  United  States, 
and  that  their  doings  at  St.  Albans  were  acts  of  war,  and  wore 
consequently  excepted  out  of  tho  operations  of  the  extradition 
treaty.  He,  however,  held  as  a  matter  of  law,  that  Judge 
Coursol  erred  in  tho  precipitate  and  unwarranted  manner  in 
wliich  he  ordered  the  discharge  of  tho  jirisonors  and  the  sur- 
render of  the  funds  to  them. 

Judge  Coursol  was,  at  that  time,  suspected  and  publicly 
accused  of  complicity  with  the  raiders,  and  subsequent  events 
sti'engthened  these  suspicions.  He  was  summoned  to  appear 
before  the  police  committee  of  the  city  council  of  Mon- 
treal, and  there  declined  to  answer  interrogatories  relating  to 
his  malfeasance  in  office,  as  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  British 
Judge.  He,  however,  was  forced  to  admit  that  he  had  been 
in  company  with  Sanders  and  one  John  Porterfield,  the  finan- 
cial agent  of  the  Confederate  States  in  Canada.  Afterwards 
it  was  rumored,  and  not  denied,  that  a  large  sum  of  money 
was  paid  this  British  Judge  by  a  Southern  refugee,  then  sojourn- 
ing in  Canada,  who  shortly  thereafter  left  the  Provinces,  not  to 
return  again.  This  judge  was  suspended  from  office  in  conse- 
quence of  his  conduct  in  the  matter.  The  Hon.  H.  W. 
Torrence  was  appointed  a  commissioner  by  Lord  Monck  to 
inquire  into  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Lamothe  and  Judge  Coursol, 
and  made  an  elaborate  report  to  the  government.     This  com- 


*.-■ 


It 


ilJ  >< 


i  i 


!i-;-  i; 


84 

f 

JiiisHioiior  roportc.l  tlmt  Jiul^e  Conrsol  wftB  indictttblo  for  a 
"  malfeasanco  in  his  functionH, "  as  a  jnfitioo,  in  having  dis- 
chai'god  tho  prisonors  on  tlio  13th  of  Docembor,  18(54,  and  Mr. 
/  Lamotlio  was  discharged  from  the  office  of  chief  of  police. 

Notwithstanding  his  extraordinary  conduct,  Judge  Conrsol 
was  restored  to  his  position  as  Judge  on  tho  9th  of  April, 
186(5,  by  order  of  Sir  (ieorge  E.  Carticr,  Attorney  General,  and 
has  been  several  times  elected  mayor  of  Montreal,  and,  on  one 
occasion,  entertained  the  Editorial  Fraternity  of  New  England 
M'ith  groat  magnificence  at  his  palatial  residence  in  Montreal. 

The  witnesses,  on  behalf  of  the  United  States,  were  many 
times  sneered  and  joered  at,  while  on  the  streets,  in  the  court 
room,  and  even  on  the  witness  stand  in  court,  by  women  sym- 
pathizers with  the  Confederate  cause,  of  whom  there  were 
large  numbers  in  attendance,  frequently  evincing  the  bold  and 
dashing  characteristics  of  Southern  chivalry. 

Shortly  after  this  time.  Lord  Monck  suggested  to  the  suffer- 
ers at  St.  Albans,  that,  if  memorialized,  he  would  recommend 
an  approi)riation  to  pay  thy  amount  of  money  and  securities 
so  wrongfully  given  up  by  order  of  Coursol  and  Lamothe. 
This  was  done,  and  in  April,  18(55,  $19,000  in  gold  was  paid  to 
the  First  National  Bank;  $20,000  to  the  St.  Albans  Bank; 
and  $31,000  in  the  bills  of  the  Franklin  County  Bank,  returaed 
to  that  Bank,  said  to  have  been  purchased  by  an  agent  of  the 
Canadian  Government,  at  ten  cents  on  the  dollar.  For  this 
act  the  Canadians  have  frequently  boasted  of  their  magnan- 
imity, and  not  unfrequently  claiming  that  they  had  paid  the 
entire  loss  by  the  raid,  of  which  this  was  a  mere  small  propor- 
tion. 

The  names  of  these  marauders,  as  given  by  themselves,  on 
their  examination,  were  as  follows :  Bennett  H.  Young,  Samuel 
Eugene  Lackey,  Squire  Turner  Travis,  Alexander  Pope  Bruce, 
Charles  Moore  S  wager,  Caleb  McDonald  Wallace,  James  Alex- 
ander Doty,  Joseph  McGrorty,  Samuel  Simpson  Gregg,  Dudley 
Moore,  Thomas  Bronsden  Collins,  George  Scott  and  William 
H.  Hutchinson. 

They  were  young  men  of  apparent  education,  culture  and 
gentlemanly  urbanity.     They  were  mostly  from  the  State  of 


.*.• 


85 


for  a 
ng  cliH- 
11(1  Mr. 
ice. 

lonrsol 

f  April, 

sral,  and 

on  one 

Ingland 

treal. 

re  many 

le  court 

en  sym- 

re  were 

)okl  and 

le  suflfer- 
oramond 
jecurities 
Lamothe. 
18  paid  to 
IB  Bank; 
returned 
nt  of  the 
For  this 
magnan- 
paid  the 
11  propor- 

selves,  on 
g,  Samuel 
ipe  Bruce, 
mes  Alex- 
:g,  Dudley 
i  William 

ilture  and 
3  State  of 


Kontiuiky — were  soldiers  in  the  Confederate  Horvicc,  principally 
from  Mosby's  and  Morgan's  guerilla  bandw,  and  a  few  Sun- 
days before  their  raid  on  St.  Albans  had  attended  church  in 
tliat  village,  and  occupied  the  pews  of  men  whom  they  after- 
wards sought  to  destroy.  Some  of  them  had  been  captured 
and  held  as  prisoners  of  war  in  nortiiern  prisons,  and  by 
strategy  had  escaped  into  Canada  as  an  asylum.  They  each 
of  them  made  a  voluntary  statement  at  their  examination. 
One  of  these  will  suffice  to  show  the  motives  which  actuated 
them  in  making  the  raid. 

Thomas  Bronsdoii  Collins  says :  I  have  violated  no  laws  of 
Canada  or  Groat  Britain.  Whatever  I  may  have  done  at  St.  Al- 
bans, I  did  as  a  Confederate  officer,  acting  under  Lieutenant 
Young.  When  1  loft  St.  Albans,  I  came  to  Canada  solely  for 
protection.  I  entered  a  hotel  at  Stanbridge  unarmed  and 
alone  and  was  arrested  and  handcuffed  by  a  Canadian  magis- 
trate, (Whitman,)  assisted  by  Yankees.  He  had  no  warrant 
for  my  aiTesc,  nor  had  any  sworn  complaint  been  made  to  him 
against  me.  About  $9,300  was  taken  from  me  when  aii'ested, 
part  Confederate  booty,  lawfully  captured  and  held  by  me  as 
such,  and  jjart  of  my  own  private  funds. 

I  asked  the  restoration  of  the  money  taken  from  me,  and  my 
discharge,  as  demanded  by  the  rules  of  international  law.  The 
treaty  under  which  ray  extradition  is  claimed  applies  to  rob- 
bers, murderers,  thieves  and  forgers.  I  am  neither,  but  a 
soldier,  serving  my  country  in  a  war  commenced  and  waged 
against  us  by  a  barbarous  foe,  in  violation  of  their  own  consti- 
tution, in  disregard  of  all  the  rules  of  warfare  as  interpreted  by 
civilized  nations  and  Christian  people  and  against  Yankees  too 
wise  to  expose  themselves  to  danger,  while  they  can  buy  mer- 
cenaries and  steal  negroes  to  tight  their  battles  for  them, 
who,  whilst  prating  of  neutrality,  seduce  your  own  people 
along  the  borders  to  violate  the  proclamation  of  your  august 
Sovereign  by  joining  their  armies,  and  leave  them  when  cap- 
tured by  us  to  languish  as  prisoners  in  a  climate  unwholesome 
to  them.  If  I  aided  in  the  sack  of  the  St.  Albans  banks,  it  was 
because  they  were  public  institutions,  and  because  I  knew  the 
pocket  nerve  of  the  Yankees  to  be  the  most  sensitive,  that  they 


y 


86 


ji 


■i  ^ili 


iiiJIii 


woultl  snffor  most  by  being  rudely  toiiclied.  I  cared  nothing 
for  the  booty,  except  to  injure  the  enemies  of  my  country. 
Federal  soldiers  are  bought  up  at  $1,000  a  head,  and  the  cap- 
ture of  $200,000  is  equivalent  to  the  destruction  of  two  hundred 
of  said  soldiers.  I  therefore  thought  the  expedition  '  would 
pay  :'  I  guess  it  did,  in  view  of .  the  facts ;  also,  that  they  have 
wisely  sent  several  thousand  soldiers  from  the  '  bloody  front ' 
to  protect  exposed  points  in  the  rear.  For  the  part  I  took  I 
am  ready  to  abide  the  consequences,  knowing  that  if  I  am  ex- 
tradited to  the  Yankee  butchers,  my  government  can  avenge, 
if  not  protect  its  soldiers." 

At  the  April  term,  1865,  of  the  Franklin  County  Court  of 
Vermont,  the  Grand  Jury  found  true  bills  of  indictment  against 
the  above  named  parties,  as  well  as  against  one  Hezekiah 
Payne,  for  murder,  attempt  at  murder  and  arson,  alleged  to 
have  been  committed  at  St.  Aibaus  at  the  time  of  the  raid.  A 
reward  had  been  offered  for  the  apprehension  and  conviction 
of  any  of  the  alleged  felons,  which  resulted  in  the  arrest  of 
Payne  at  Datroit,  Michigan,  by  one  Captain  Smith,  a 
Southerner  by  birth,  and  formerly  a  captain  in  the  Confederate 
army.  Captain  Smith  was  employed  by  Colonel  Hill  at 
Detroit,  with  instructions  to  report  at  Colonel  Hill's  head- 
quarters. This  captain  assumed  the  character  of  a  Southern 
refugee  and  was  assigned  to  duty  by  the  government  at 
Windsor,  Canada  West,  directly  opposite  Detroit.  Here  the 
government  placed  him  in  charge  of  a  hotel,  in  which  he  as- 
sumed to  be  landlord,  and  he  had  among  his  guests  from  sixty 
to  ninety  regular  boarders,  nearly  all  Southern  refugees,  who 
little  suspected  at  the  time  that  they  were  boarding  with  a 
United  States  Government  detective,  and  who  was  daily 
reporting  their  sayings  and  doings  in  secret  conclave  to 
Colonel  Hill.  Mr.  Payne  v;as  one  of  his  constant  boarders 
during  the  winter  of  1864-5,  and  boastingly  declared  fully  his 
connection  with  the  St.  Albans  raid  to  Captain  Smith  and 
others  of  the  band.  Colonel  Hill  accordingly  placed  a  female 
detective  on  Payne's  track,  who  by  her  charms  induced  the 
latter  to  escort  her  to  a  theatre  in  Detroit  on  an  evening.  They 
accordingly  embarked  on  board  of  the  ferry  boat,  and  as  Payno 


'.*  fl 


/►k*. 


37 


nothing 
country, 
the  cap- 
hundred 

would 
ley  have 
[y  front ' 

took  I 
I  am  ex- 
avenge, 

Court  of 
t  against 
Hezekiah 
lleged  to 
raid.  A 
)nviction 
arrest  of 
iinith,  a 
nfederate 
Hill  at 
Il's  head- 
Southern 
iment  at 
Here  the 
ich  he  as- 
rom  sixty 
fees,  who 
ig  with  a 
ras  daily 
iclave  to 
boarders 
[  fully  his 
mith  and 
a  female 
luced  the 
g.  They 
as  Payne 


stepped  from  the  boat  upon  the  wharf,  ho  was  arrested  by  a 
United  States  Marshal,  apparently  very  much  to  the  chagrin 
and  disgust  of  his  fair  companion.  A  search  was  at  once  in- 
stituted, and  bills  on  one  of  the  St.  Albans  banks  were  found 
concealed  in  the  lining  of  his  coat.  He  was  conveyed  to  St. 
Albans  and  tried  for  the  offences  lor  which  he  had  been  in- 
dicted by  a  county  court  and  juiy,  presided  over  by  Chief 
Justice  John  Pierpoint,  in  June,  1865.  He  was  identified  in 
court  by  nearly  half  a  dozen  witnesses  residing  in  St.  Albans  ; 
among  them  was  the  Rev.  Francis  W.  Smith,  who  had  no 
doubt  as  to  his  being  the  identical  person  who  presented  a 
revolver  while  on  horseback,  at  one  Nettleton,  in  the  streets  of 
St.  Albans  on  the  day  of  the  raid,  and  compelled  the  latter  to 
deliver  to  him  his  cap,  as  he  had  lost  his  own  in  the  affray 
when  he  rode  off  towards  Canada.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
respondent  introduced  testimony  to  prove  an  apparent  alibi,  of 
the  most  positive  character,  that  on.  the  morning  of  the  day 
following  the  raid,  at  about  8^  o'clock,  the  prisoner  was  at  a 
broker's  office  in  Montreal,  in  company  with  a  number  of 
Southerners.  This  testimony  left  grounds  for  a  reasonable 
doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  jury,  and  Payne  was  acquitted.  A 
prominent  Southerner  afterwards  informed  the  writer,  in 
Montreal,  that  Payne  participated  in  the  St.  Albans  raid,  and  by 
dint  of  good  luck  reached  Montreal  the  following  morning  at 
six  o'clock,  and  delivered  his  booty  to  the  Confederate  treasury 
at  that  place,  it  thus  appeared  that  all  of  the  witnesses  told 
the  tiTith,  but  that  the  length  of  time  which  it  would  take  to 
travel  from  St.  Albans  to  Montreal,  distant  about  sixty  miles, 
over  fearfully  bad  roads,  was  lost  sight  of,  or  not  duly  con- 
sidered by  the  prosecution  and  the  jury.  Payne  having  been 
tried  once,  could  not  again  be  placed  in  jeopardy.  He  was  sup- 
posed by  many  to  have  been  a  near  relative  of  Lewis  Payn'e, 
the  assailant  of  Secretary  Seward  and  his  son  Frederick,  on 
ti<e  night  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  and  whose 
diabolical  plans  were  in  part  frustrated  by  the  timely  inter- 
ference of  George  T.  Robinson,  a  disabled  Union  soldier,  a 
private  in  the  8th  Maine  Volunteers,  in  the  employ  of  Mr. 
Seward  as  a  nurse  at  that  time.     This  latter  Payne  was  tried 


38 


I    M 


;  ■  ■  I' 


and  hung  by  the  slite  of  Mrs.  Mary  K  Suri'att,  in  the  old 
Penitentiary  jail  yard  in  Washington,  D,  C,  by  order  of  a 
raihtary  court  who  tried  all  of  the  conspirators  on  the  9th  of 
July,  1865,  jiresided  over  by  General  Hancock. 

Many  of  the  St.  Albans  raiders  are  now  residing  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  writer  has  frequently  received  commun- 
ications from  loyal  persons  in  diii'erent  parts  of  the  country 
apprising  him  of  tuc'v  whereabouts,  but  the  amnesty  acts  of 
Congress  would  doubtless  fully  acquit  them,  if  our  courts 
should  stand  to  the  decisions  of  the  British  courts,  sanction- 
etl  by  the  Court  of  Queen's  Bench  in  England,  wherein  they 
have  said  that  "though  the  Confederate  States  are  not  recog- 
nized as  independent,  they  are  recognized  as  a  belligerent 
power,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  parties  acting  in  tlieu* 
behalf  would  not  be  criminally  responsible.'' 

In  June  1872,  the  writer  addressed  a  letter  to  Bennett  H. 
Young,  then  a  lawyer  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  calling  for  cer- 
tain supposed  facts  connected  with  the  raid,  reminding  him 
that  while  in  Montreal  at  the  time  of  liis  discharge,  he  had 
given  assurances  of  assistance  to  the  widow  and  children  of 
Mr.  Morrison,  on  account  of  his  proclivities.  A  respectful 
reply  was  made  but  no  assistance  was  rendered. 

Shortly  thereafter,  it  was  rumored  that  he  had  died,  but  it 
is  believed  that  this  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
further  inquiry.  He  had  abondoned  his  theological  studies 
and  had  married  the  daughter  of  a  Presbyterian  Clergyman,  to 
whom  he  had  evidently  assigned  the  care  of  his  religion. 

The  writer  has  also  been  credibly  informed  that  S  wager 
escaped  into  France  from  Canada  after  his  disciiarge,  and 
under  an  assumed  name  became  a  diplomatic  or  consular 
agent  of  the  United  States  at,  or  near  Paris,  and  remained  such 
until  his  true  character  wixs  afterwards  made  known  to  the 
government,  when  he  was  summarily  discharged.  He  after- 
wards enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  French  army,  and  at  the 
siege  of  Paris  by  the  Prussians,  during  the  Franco-Prussian 
war  of  1871,  was  mortally  wounded  and  died  at  Paris,  in 
France,  and  his  remains  were  brought  to  the  United  States 
for  interment. 


M  H 


■•IP 


*ii 


30 


The  conduct  of  tho  Canadian  Government,  or  officials,  in  re- 
lation to  the  United  States,  up  to  this  time,  had  the  appear- 
ance of  indifference  to  the  rights  of  the  latter.  It  was,  how- 
ever, in  keeping  with  the  position  taken  by.  the  British  Gov- 
ernment in  relation  to  the  war. 

Tho  latter  had  by  proclamation  of  the  Queen  declared  the 
Confederates  belligerents,  before  they  had  received  intelligence 
that  a  battle  had  been  fought.  They  had  likewise  permitted 
the  Lairds  to  build  cruisers  or  privateers,  on  their  territories, 
and  to  escape  their  ports  and  waters,  with  a  full  armament  on 
board,  after  our  government  had  notified  them  officially  of  the 
manifest  purposes  of  the  owners  of  the  vessels,  for  which  they 
were  compelled  to  pay  $15,000,000  compensation  by  the 
award  of  the  Geneva  Arbitration.  The  conduct  of  Chief  Jus- 
tice Cockburn,  the  British  Arbitrator,  in  delivering  a  dissent- 
ing opinion,  betrayed  the  feelings  of  that  Government. 

He  manifested  much  feeling,  and  considerable  passion.  He 
at  first  undertook  to  surprise  our  counsel  by  calling  on  them 
for  an  oral  discussion  of  the  question  as  to  what  would  con- 
stitute due  diligence  under  the  Washington  treaty,  knowing 
that  two  or  three  of  the  arbitrators  could  not  understand 
English  when  spoken. 

Much  to  his  surprise,  Hon.  William  M.  Evarts  discussed  the 
question  in  English,  and  was  repeatedly  interrupted  by  the 
Chief  Justice,  and  following  him,  the  Hon.  Caleb  Cushing  ar- 
gued the  question  in  an  able  and  exhaustive  argument  in  the 
French  language,  so  that  the  arbitrators  were  fully  informed  on 
the  subject,  the  French  language  being  somewhat  of  a  court 
language  in  Europe.  After  the  Chief  Justice  had  read  his 
opinion,  he  hastily  threw  it  on  the  table,  and  abruptly  left  the 
room,  and  the  city  of  Geneva,  and  did  not  participate  in  the 
general  rejoicings  and  displays  over  the  successful  establish- 
ment of  a  precedent  for  the  settlement  of  national  differences, 
by  national  arbitration,  rather  than  by  the  arbitrament  of  war. 

Mr.  Cushing  afterwards  wrote  a  book  on  the  subject  of  the 
arbitration  at  Geneva,  in  which  he  was  pleased  to  call  the 
Chief  Justice  of  England,  en  enfant  terrible,  which  excited 
much  comment  and  correspondence  in  diplomatic  circles. 


// 


40 


1 


The  circumstances  connected  witli  the  St.  Albans  raid  were 
fully  discussed  at  Geneva,  as  the  principles  of  law  were  sup- 
posed to  be  analagous,  by  writers  on  international  law,  whether 
the  expedition  was  fitted  out  and  pursued  by  land  or  by  water. 
Hence,  under  the  12th  section  of  the  treaty  of  Washington,  a 
"mixed  commission  on  American  and  British  claims, "  was  con- 
stituted and  organized,  for  the  purpose,  in  part,  of  considering 
and  adjusting  "kindred  claims"  to  those  of  the  "Alabama 
claims. ''  This,  of  course,  resulted  in  a  number  of  claims 
being  presented  by  the  sufferers  by  the  St.  Albans  raid,  and 
important  developments  being  made,  tending  to  implicate  the 
Canadian  officials  with  that  raid,  and,  particularly,  as  tending 
to  show  that  the  raid  was  organized  on  Canadian  soil  as  a  pai't 
of  a  great  conspiracy,  and  that  some  of  those  officials  had 
knowledge  of  it  before  it  occurred. 

The  extensive  correspondence  of  Mr.  Seward,  with  Lord 
Lyons  and  Earl  Kiissell,  fully  disclosed  the  fact  of  contem- 
plated raids  from  Canada,  nnd  the  active  movements  of  the 
insurgents  on  Canadian  soil  in  1863,  and  the  early  part  of 
1864,  and  the  apparent  indifference  of  the  Canadian  Govern- 
ment in  relation  to  the  same.  This  state  of  things,  followed 
by  the  St.  Albans  raid,  led  to  the  abrogation  of  the  reciprocity 
treaty,  then  existing  between  the  two  countries,  and  the  enforce- 
ment, for  a  time,  of  a  rigid  passport  system  along  the  frontier. 
It  also  contributed  towards  making  a  case  against  the  British 
Government  for  breaches  of  neutrality,  and  asking  compensa- 
tion therefor.  An  effort  was  made,  by  certain  parties  who  had 
suffered  by  land  and  water,  to  make  a  case,  in  many  respects 
similar  to  the  claims  filed  by  our  Government  against  Great 
Britain,  but  making  British  subjects  the  sufferers ;  and  hence 
sprang  up  the  Fenian  raids  on  Canada — the  one  occurring 
under  Generals  Spear  and  Sweeney,  in  the  years  1866,  and 
the  other  under  General  O'Neil  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  and 
fore  part  of  June,  1870,  with  their  headquarters  at  St.  Albans. 
These  raids,  however,  though  one  of  them  resulted  in  a  short 
battle  at  St.  Armand,  eighteen  miles  north  of  St.  Albans,  on 
Canadian  soil,  lacked  the  important  element  of  belligerency 
in  order  to  constitute  a  similarity.     In  one  of  the  communica- 


iUi 


mM9 


**v 


41 


tions,  by  Mr.  Seward  to  Minister  Adams,  on  the  subject,  the 
former  asked  the  opinion  of  the  latter  as  to  the  propriety  of 
making  up  a  similar  case  with  a  view  to  the  settlement  of  the 
question  of  compensation,  by  American  citizens.  The  latter 
wisely  replied  that,  by  so  doing,  it  would  be  an  acknowledge- 
ment that  the  British  Goveitiment  were  right  in  their  course ; 
and  that  was  an  end  of  the  subject. 

The  St.  Albans  raid  would  never  have  been  thought  of  but 
for  the  conviction  that  Canada  was  so  friendly  with  the  South 
and  so  inimical  to  the  North  that  the  raiders  would  be 
safe,  whatever  atrocities  they  might  commit,  if  they  could  only 
jump  back  across  the  line — and  no  wonder  they  arrived  at 
this  conclusion.  Vallandigham — the  arch  traitor — ^had  been 
feted,  and  free-passed  through  Canada,  and  received  by  some 
of  the  members  of  the  Government  of  Quebec.  Confederate 
officers  and  soldiers  had  been  conveyed  to  the  boat,  in  which 
they  were  departin.<j' — doubtless  for  aggressive  movements  on 
the  North — by  one  of  the  regimental  bands  of  the  British 
army  in  Canada.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  Canadian  , 
press  continued,  day  after  day,  to  manifest  bitter  hatred  for 
the  North,  and  was  supported,  in  so  doing,  by  a  considerable 
proportion  of  their  most  influential  men.  British  unfriendli- 
ness made  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  discussions  at  Geneva, 
and  was  justly  regarded  by  the  Arbitrators  tb  re  as  a  fact 
proven,  and  of  vital  importance. 

The  speeches  of  Lord  Palmerston  and  the  Earl  Bussell, 
cited  at  Geneva,  and  which  have  become  historical,  and  the 
unfriendly  tone  of  the  London  press  were  re-produced  in  the 
'< Montreal  Gazette,"  and  found  their  echo  in  nearly  every 
village  newspaper  in  Canada.  "  When  all  this  was  going  on," 
says,  the  "Montreal  Witness"  of  the  22d  of  October,  1864, 
"before  the  eyes  of  Southern  refugees,  they  could  come  to  no 
other  conclusion  than  they  arrived  at,  that  Canada  was  a  safe 
base  of  operations  against  the  North. "  It  was  this  popular 
sympathy  that  Count  Sclopis,  the  great  Italian  jurist  and  the 
chairman  of  the  board  of  Arbitrators  at  Geneva,  alluded  to 
with  such  felicity  and  force  of  argument  in  his  opinion  at 
Geneva.     He  said:  "No  g;overnment  is  safe  against  certain 


42 


m 


1^ 


waves  of  public  opinion  which  it  cannot  master  at  its  wUl.    I 
am  far  from  thinking  that  thQ  animus  of  the  English  Govern- 
ment was  hostile  to  the  Federal  Government  during  the  war. 
Yet  there  were  grave  dangers  for  the  United  States  in  Great 
jbritain  and  her  colonies,  which  there  were  no  direct  means  of 
averting.     England,  therefore,  should  have  fulfilled  her  duties 
as  a  neutral,  by  the  exercise  of  a  diligence  equal  to  the  gravity 
of  the  danger.     It  cannot  be  denied  that  there  were  moments 
when  its  watchfulness  seemed  to  fail,  and  when  feebleness  in 
certain  branches  of  the  public  service  resulted  in  great  detri- 
ment to  the  United  States.   The  consequence  of  such  feebleness 
can  be  no  other  than  a  reparation  for  the  damages  suffered.  '* 
The  evidence  abundantly  proved  that  this  "feebleness  "  esst- 
ed  in  Canada  till  after  the  St.  Albans  raid.    Then  the  govern- 
ment seemed  to  arouse  to  its  dangers  and   duties.    But  it 
took  some  time  for  "the  waves"  of  popular  feeling  to  subside. 
Even  after  the  raid,  and  the  reaction  consequent  upon  its  out- 
rages, C.  G.  Clay  Jr., in  his  intercepted  letter,  said:  "The  sym- 
pathy of  nine  tenths  of  the  Canadians  are  with  Young  and  his 
men,  and  a  majority  of  all  the  newspapers  justify  or  excuse  his 
acts  as  merely  retaliatory."    Indeed,  even  after  the  assassin- 
ation V)f-  Mr.  Lincoln,  many  of  the  Southerners  in  Montreal 
were  permitted  on  receiving  the  intelligence  of  his  assassina- 
tion to  celebrate  the  event  by  a  general  carousal.     John  H. 
Surratt,  one  of  the  conspirators,  was  in  Montreal,  at  St.  Law- 
rence Hall,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1865,  and  was  telegraphed  by 
John  Wilkes  Booth  to  come  to  Washington,  D,  C,  on  the 
10th  of  April,  1865,  and  he  paid  his  bill  at  St  Lawrence  Hall, 
and  left  on  the  12th  of  April,  having  registered  his  name  as 
"John  Harrison,"  on  the  Hotel  Register,  as  appears  by  •TChe 
trial  of  John  H.  Surratt, "  Vol.  I.  page  166.     He  returned 
to  Montreal  via  St.  Albans,  on  Tuesday  morning,  the  18th 
of  April,  1865,  and  again  registered  his  name  as  "John  Har- 
rison, "  on  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall  Register,  and  immediately 
learning  that  parties  were  in  pursuit  of  him  to  secure  a  reward, 
he  was  secreted  in  the  house  of  John  Forterfield,  and  was 
shortly  afterwards  taken  into  the  country,  and  secreted  in  the 
house  of  a  Bomau  Catholic  Friegt,  where  he  remained  until 


^::.t'0kK. 


43 

ne  sailed  to  Livei'pool,  and  thence  proceeded  to  Alexandria,  in 
iEgypt,  where  he  was  arrested  and  brought  to  the  United 
States  for  trial.  While  passing  through  St.  Albans,  he  was 
suspected  by  William  R.  Conger,  Albert  Sowles  and  the  wri- 
ter, who  were  witnesses  at  his  tiial.  Carl  Hobart,  Charles  H. 
Blinn,  and  George  F.  Chapin  likewise  identified  him  in  open 
court  as  the  person  whom  they  saw  at  BurlingtoM  and  St.  Al- 
bans, on  the  night  of  the  17th,  and  morning  of  the  18th  of 
April,  1865,  en  route  for  Montreal.  William  E.  Wheeler  tes- 
tified that  in  October,  1864,  he  saw  J.  Wilkes  Booth  in  Mon- 
treal, in  front  of  St.  Lawrence  Hall,  in  company  with  a  person 
answering  the  description  of  Sanders.  (See  Trial  of  John  H. 
Surratt,  Vol.  I,  p.  315.)  In  Moi'ch  and  April,  1865,  it  was  es- 
tablished beyond  question,  that  Booth  was  in  Montreal,  in 
company  with  Sanders.  F.  Geriken  testified  that  he  saw  him 
in  Sanders'  room,  at  St.  Lawrence  Hall,  in  'secret  conversation. 
The  following  appears  on  page  478,  History  of  Secret  Service, 
by  Baker.  "About  this  time,  certain  gentlemen  in  Canada  be- 
gan to  be  unenviably  known.  I  make  no  charges  against 
those  whom  I  do  not  know,  but  simply  say  that  the 
Confederate  agents,  Jacob  Thompson,  Lai-ry  IkicDonald, 
Clement  Clay,  and  some  others,  had  already  accomplished 
enough  villainy  to  make  Wilkes  Booth,  on  the  first  of  the 
present  year,  believe  that  he  had  but  to  seek  an  inter- 
view with  them.  He  visited  the  provinces  once,  certainly, 
and  three  times,  it  is  believed,  stopping  in  Montreal,  at  St.  Law- 
rence Hall,  and  banking  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars  odd 
at  the  Ontario  Bank.  This  was  his  own  money.  I  have,  my- 
self, seen  his  bank-book  with  the  sirgle  entry  of  this  amount. 
It  was  found  in  the  room  of  Atzeroth  at  Eirkwood's  Hotel. 
Some  one,  or  all  of  these  agents,  furnished  Booth  with  a  mur- 
derer— the  fellow  Wood,  or  Payne,  who  stabbed  Mr.  Seward, 
and  was  caught  at  Mrs.  Surratt's  house  in  Washington.  He 
was  one  of  the  three  Kentucky  brothers,  all  outlaws,  and  had, 
himself,  it  is  believed,  accompanied  one  of  his  brothers,  who 
is  known  to  have  been  at  St.  Albans  on  the  day  of  the  bank 
delivery.  This  Payne,  besides  being  positively  identified  as 
the  assassin  of  the  Sewards,  had  no  friends  nor  haunts  in 


iP.f: 


^^ 


u 


U/j 


Washington.  He  was  simply  a  dispatched  murderer,  and  aftei* 
the  night  of  the  crime,  struck  northward  for  the  frontier,  in- 
stead of  southward,  in  the  company  of  Booth." 

A  reward  of  $20,000  for  Sanders  and  $25,000  for  Thompson 
was  offered  by  the  United  States  Government  for  their  appio- 
hension  and  conviction,  on  account  of  this  conspiracy.  An 
attempt  was  'made  to  kidnap  Sanders,  but  he  was  rescued  by 
the  authorities  of  Canada. 

From  the  letter  of  Jacob  Thompson  to  Mr.  Benjamin,  Sec- 
retary of  State  of  the  Confederacy,  obtained  from  the  rebel 
archives,  now  in  the  hands  of  the  XJ.  S.  Government,  it  appears 
"  that  he  and  C.  C.  Clay  Jr.,  were  sent  early  in  1864,  to  Can- 
ada, by  the  Confederate  Government,  as  political  agents,  armed 
with  the  largest  powers ;  that  they  took  with  them  $600,000 
of  Confederate  funds  in  gold ;  that  he,  ^Thompson,)  knew 
nothing  of  the  details  of  the  St.  Albans  raid,  but  Clay  ordered 
it  and  furnished  the  money  for  it." 

These  uncontrovertible  facts  leave  no  doubt  of  a  conspiracy 
covering  all  the  overt  acts  afterwards  committed,  through  the 
procurement  of  those  political  agents,  with  Confederate  money, 
fully  orgfRiized,  and  proceeding  from  Canada  to  St.  Albans, 
Washington  and  other  places.*  Lieut.  Young  was  appointed 
on  the  16th  of  June,  1864,  by  Jefferson  Davis,  through  the 
\  Confederate  Secretary  of  War,  First  Lieutenant  for  special 
service,  and  this  order  given  him :  "  You  will  proceed  without 
delay  to  the  British  Provinces,  where  you  will  report  to 
Messrs.  Thompson  and  Clay  for  instructions." 

On  the  6th  c*  October,  1864,  Young  received  the  following 
1  order  from  C.  C.  Clay  Jr.,  who  was  then  in  Montreal :  "  Your 
suggestion  for  a  raid  upon  accessible  towns  in  Vermont, 
commencing  with  St.  Albans,  is  approved,  and  you  are  author- 
ized and  required  to  act  in  conformity  with  that  suggestion. 

Oct.  6th,  1864.  C.  C.  Clay  Jr." 

Indeed,  Judge  Smith,  in  his  opinion  delivered  in  the  St. 
Albans  case,  says:  "While  at  St.  Catherines,  Young  reported 
his  doings  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  obtained  his  sanction,  both  verbal 
and  witten,  of  the  projected  attack.     While  in  Montreal,  in 


'  (* 


4S 


, 


October,  ho  rocoivecl  from  Mr.  Clay  $400  towards  the  expenses 
of  the  expedition. " 

It  was  also  a  significant  fact  that  there  was  no  neutrality 
law  in  Canada  till  February,  1865.  The  act  of  Parliament  of 
1861  had  re-enacted  the  old  act,  giving  force  to  the  treaty, 
with  numerous  amendments.  This  act,  as  amended,  never  had 
received  Boyal  sanction  until  the  above  date,  and.  hence,  it 
had  been  nugatory  until  sanctioned.  This  the  raiders  knew, 
and  relied  upon  it.  They  had  taken  counsel  as  to  the  law  of 
extradition,  and  claimed  at  once  that  they  were  ^'belligerents, 
not  robbers. " 

At  a  very  early  date  in  1862,  the  attention  of  the  British 
Government  was  called  to  the  inadequacy  of  their  laws  to  pre- 
vent hostile  expeditions  and  to  preserve  neutrality.  It  was  in 
reference  to  these  requests  that  Lord  Falmerston  made  his 
memorable  speech  of  March  27th,  1863,  in  which  he  spoke  of 
them  as  follows  :  "A  cry  raised  against  England  to  create  politi- 
cal capital  in  America.  But  if  this  cry  is  raised  for  tho  purpose 
of  driving  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  do  something  whicl 
may  be  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  country,  or  which  may  \e 
derogatory  to  the  dignity  of  the  country  in  the  way  of  alter- 
ing our  laws  Tor  the  purpose  of  pleasing  another  government, 
then  all  I  can  say  is  that  such  a  course  is  not  likely  to  ac- 
complish its  purposes." 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1864,  Lord  Monck  wrote  to 
Mr.  Cardwell,  British  Foreign  Secretary,  as  follows :  "  I  should 
be  armed  with  some  further  statutory  powers  to  enable  me 
to  restrain  persons  who  seek  an  asylum  in  Canada  from  the 
commission  of  acts  calculated  to  compromise  the  neutrality  of 
Her  Majesty's  Dominions."  This  is  a  direct  admission  of  a 
remissness  of  duty  and  a  want  of  due  diligence  in  preventing 
the  raid  on  St.  Albans.  Indeed,  some  of  the  government 
officials  in  Canada  must  have  known  of  this  raid  before  its  oc- 
currence. F.  Gerekin,  impressed  as  a  witness  by  Great  Britain, 
who  resided  at  St.  Lawrence  Hall  in  Montreal,  said  on  cross- 
examination:  "There  were  a  great  number  of  Southerners 
stopping  at  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall,  between  1862  and  1865. 
They  conversed  freely  in  my  presence.    I  heard  them  talking 


r 


..?S)<i^)iJf!y«Si,«^ 


w 


I  '> 


46 

about  poisoning  tlio  aqueduct  of  New  York  City,  'of  sotting 
tire  to  their  cities  when  they  least  expected  it,'  that  they  would 
'rescue  the  prisoners  from  Johnson's  Island,  and  bring  them  to 
Canada.'  Heard  them  say  that  something  ought  to  be  at- 
tempted at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y." 

Judge  Coursol  said  to  Judge  Aldis  and  Albert  Bowles,  on 
the  morning  after  the  raid :  ''  That  these  Southerners  had  been 
about  the  city  of  Montreal  in  large  numbers  fur  a  long  time, 
contemplating  or  getting  up  these  raids,  and  that,  if  proper 
measures  had  been  taken,  their  plans  could  have  been  found 
out  and  fnistrated. " 

Mr.  Lamothe  says:  "After the  Johnson's  Island  affair,  and 
before  the  St.  Albans  raid,  the  Southern  refugees  appeared  to 
be  acting  together  in  concert,  and  to  be  fully  organized  in 
Canada,  and  their  organization,  their  purpose  and  intention 
of  committing  acts  of  forcible  depredations,  rapine  and  war 
upon  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  must  have  been  known 
to  the  Cartier-McDonald  government;  «  *  ♦  • 
that  if  there  had  been  any  steps  taken  by  said  government  of 
Cartier-McDonald  to  prevent  the  same,  the  said  raid  on  St. 
Albans  might  and  would  have  been  prevented,  and  would  not 
have  occuri'ed. "  • 

Col.  Wm.  A.  Armatinger,  next  in  command  of  the  militia  in 
the  district  of  Montreal,  under  Coursol,  thus  declared  to  one 
Jacob  Bynders,  a  Canadian  detective,  before  the  St.  Albans 
raid,  as  testified  to  by  him :  "We  know  all  about  the  contem- 
plated raids;  let  them  go  on  and  have  a  fight  on  the  frontier; 
it  is  none  of  our  business ;  we  can  lose  nothing  by  it.  It  does 
not  interfere  with  us.  There  are  so  many  Confederate  soldiers 
here  in  Montreal,  we  expect  a  fight  every  day,  and  we  shall  not 
interfere  with  it. " 

Rynders  further  testified,  "I  have  no  doubt  Col.  Armatinger 
knew  the  exact  point  at  which  Southern  soldiers  designed  to 
make  their  attack  at  the  time,  which  afterwards  proved  to  be 
Si  Albans,  Vermont.  He  appeared  to  know  all  about  it  He 
was  frequently  in  communication  with  the  Southern  soldiers, 
and  they  were  on  intimate  terms." 

It  was  fully  established,  that  in  November,  1863,  Mr.  La- 


I 


^m 


47 


I 


Mothe,  Chief  of  Police,  detected  the  raid  on  Johnsor's  la- 
land,  in  the  Lachine  Canal,  and  by  direction  of  Hon.  L.  H. 
Holton,  then  Finance  Minister,  put  a  stop  to  it.  There  was  a 
change  of  Government  in  March  following,  and  LaMothe  was 
refused  compensation  for  his  services.  He,  therefore,  declined 
to  perform  subsequent  services  in  that  direction,  and  there 
were  no  detectives  used  or  employed  for  that  purpose  before 
the  St.  Albans  raid. 

Lord  Monck,  Governor  General,  Sir  John  A.  McDonald, 
Prime  Minister,  Sir  George  E.  Cartier,  Attoraey  General,  Hon. 
H.  D.  Longeveau,  Solicitor  General,  and  others,  were  impressed 
as  witnesses  by  Great  Britain,  who  all  testified  that  they  had 
no  personal  knowledge  of  the  St.  Albans  raid  before  its  occur- 
ence, although  they  were  fully  informed  of  the  general  objects 
and  purposes  of  those  insurgents  in  Canada. 

These  facts,  with  many  other  minor  details,  were  submit- 
ted to  the  Mixed  Commission  on  American  and  British  claims, 
composed  of  Count  Jj.  Coati,  Italian  Minister  at  Washington, 
as  Umpire,  James  S.  Frazer,  of  Indiana,  Commissioner  for 
the  United  States,  and  Bussell  Gurney,  Recorder  of  London, 
England,  Commissioner  for  Great  Britain,  through  Hon.  Rob- 
ert S.  Hale,  Agent  for  the  United  States,  who,  on  the  19th  of 
August,  1873,  disallowed  compensation. 

Commissioner  Frazer  read  an  opinion,  in  which  I  am  ad- 
vised that  the  majority  of  the  Commission  concurred,  which 
was  in  part  as  follows :  "  I  may  not  be  prepared  to  say  that  Great 
Britain  used  that  diligence  to  prevent  hostile  expeditions  from 
Canada  against  the  United  States,  which  should  be  exercised 
by  a  neutral  and  friendly  neighbor,  but  in  the  view  which  I  take 
of  these  claims,  this  question  is  not  important,  an(|  need  not 
therefore  be  decided.  *  «  *  i  think,  rather,  it  was  because 
no  care  which  one  nation  may  reasonably  require  of  another  in 
such  cases  would  have  been  sufficient  to  discover  it." 
Indeed,  the  decision  must  have  been  placed  upon  the 
ground  that  direct  knowledge  of  this  particular  raid  must 
have  been  coummunicated  to  the  Canadian  or  British 
Government,  before  its "  occurence,  and  they  have  failed 
to     stop     it,     in     order    to     charge     such     Government 


•F  ''-«>i<k.'y'^y* 


wmmmmmmmfmm 


48 

with  liability,  and  that  otherwiso  noatrals  can  pennit  bolliger- 
ents  from  their  territories,  as  a  base  of  operations,  to  let  loose 
their  "war  dogs"  on  a  peaceful,  quiet,  frontier  village,  pilla- 
ging their  banking  houses,  filing  their  houses,  and  murder- 
ing their  citizens,  far  removed  from  the  scenes  of  rebellion, 
which  their  government  was  taxing  all  its  energies  and  resour- 
ces, to  suppress,  and  when  such  neutrals  are  called  upon  to 
enact  "  more  stringent  laws, "  to  protect  the  other  belligerent, 
or  make  reparation  for  their  negligence,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  they  should  "hesitate,  discuss,  delay  and  refrain.  " 

In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  say  that  the  facts  and  oircumstan« 
ces  connected  with  this  raid  became  generally  known  through- 
out the  civilized  •  world ;  that  Secretary  Stanton  afterwards,  in 
conversation  with  the  writer,  declared  it  to  be  one  of  the  im^ 
.  portant  events  of  the  war,  not  so  much  as  transfering  in  part , 
/  the  scenes  and  horrors  of  war,  to  a  peaceful,  loyal  State,  but 
/  as  leading  to  serious  and  dangerous  complications  with  Great 
/    Britain,   through  the   desires  and  efforts  of  the   Southern 
I     people  to  involve  Canada,  and  through  her,  Britain,  in  a  war  on 
vj^ehalf  of  their  Southern  friends. 

And  I  doubt  not  that  every  intelligent  Yei^^  Ver  must 
fully  realize  that  history  must  and  will  give  these  events  that 
prominence  ar.d  importance  they  deserve. 

They  will  remember,  that  in  history,  the  conspiracies  to  as- 
sassinate Egdon,  the  King  of  Moab,  resulting  in  his  destruc- 
tion ;  and  wat  of  Morat,  the  I'rench  Bevolutionary  Leader, 
sharing  the  same  fate ;  and  the  gun-powder  conspiracy,  under 
the  leadership  of  Guy  Fawkes,  to  blow  up  and  destroy,  the 
English  Parliament,  seasonably  discovered  and  frustrated, 
though  of  no  greater  scope  and  importance  in  their  results, 
have  eaofi  been  given  a  record  in  history,  which  will  perpetuate 
them  throughout  all  its  annals.  It  may  not  be  presumptu- 
ous, then*  to  conjecture  that  this  conspiracy,  though  its  de- 
tails are  not  fully  known,  will  yet  be  ranked  in  importance,  as 
one  of  the  greatest  conspiracies  ever  known,  to  subvert  and 
destroy  a  government,  save  only  that  successful  conrairacy 
to  destroy  Ceesar,  the  Emperor  of  Bome,  of  which  Brutus 
was  the  leader,  and  Ihat  greater  and  unsuccessful  one,  of  Jef- 
ferson Davis  and  his  coadjutors  in  the  great  rebellion  of  1861. 
CsBsar's  bloody  garment  threw  Borne  again  into  slavery,  but 
all  the  machinations  of  slavery-oonspirators,  of  which  this 
raid  was  a  prominent  one,  could  not  undermine  or  destroy  the 
foundations  of  tiiis  great  Bepublic. 


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